Not So Hidden Secrets
by Darkness13000
Summary: A cartoon crossover. Danny is kidnapped, brainwashed, and placed in a community where everyone is hiding a secret. Full summary inside.
1. New Beginning

Cartoon crossover. When a secret organization decides that Danny Phantom should join them, and the other abducted abnormal adolescences, how will he and the others escape, especially when they can't remember a life outside their little community? They think their secrets are well kept, but are they? Will they even realize that their abilities are being used for evil? It's all a dangerous secret, that's soon about to unfold. Rated T for language, mention of gore, and insanity.

I really like this idea, hopefully I won't ruin or abandon it.

Disclaimer: I do not own ANY of the cartoons I include in this fanfiction, mmk?

xXx

Not So Hidden Secrets

Ch. 1: New Beginning

A man sits at a computer in a lab, hunched over, working wearily on research actually most disturbing and certainly extraordinary. The problem was that this man had grown accustomed to coming across absolutely impossible findings, and he hadn't slept in two days. The man had short, ruffled black hair, pale skin (an expert at never going outside and leaving his computer), and brown eyes looking through thin glasses. He never smiled, and always seemed to be glaring at something. The lab was big, echoed, had a supply closet and a separate room in the back. Behind the man was a lab table, with various scientific instruments and unique chemicals. A few florescent lights were on, but the majority of the light came from the glow of the monitors. He wasn't alone, a woman was sitting at another computer across from him. They both wore long white lab coats, were fairly scrawny, and could appear to a common person as snooty know-it-alls. The young woman in particular, with her hair in a neat ponytail and a sour frown looked especially bored with her work. She huffed an annoyed sigh.

"What're you working on?" asked the man, adjusting his glasses.

"Oh, you know, just some stuff on the health issues of some of our patients." She said with another exasperated sigh. She had brown hair, dark red lipstick, a decent complexion, and almost black eyes. "You?"

The man hesitated to respond, for his next statement will be grossly humorous. "Well, I think I found a new recruit."

"Really?" the woman said halfheartedly, not even looking up. The lab was mostly silent for another half hour, besides the typing at the computers and another scientist bumbling in to join them. He was slightly bigger then the other man, had neatly combed blond hair, blue eyes, and he added to the noise with his clinking of glass vials and flasks. No one exchanged a word. The man at the computer all the sudden got up, after pressing the _print_ button. He waited patiently at the printer at the edge of the table drumming his fingers lightly on the wood, then snatched the papers and strolled across the lab to a supply closet. He selected an ordinary manila folder, and placed the fresh documents inside. Next, he left the at least slightly illuminated lab for an eerily dark corridor.

The entire building was massive, location unknown, complete with offices, storage rooms, a lab, and even some sleeping quarters. The fairly small number of staff lived and worked here, but it was debatable if these people had souls. No person with morals could possibly work for this facility, what they do here is simply evil, but they were paid well, so it mattered not.

The labyrinth of halls seemed to go on forever, but the man seemed to know where he was going and he took his time, in no real hurry. He passed a couple of people along the way, two men covered head to toe with a combination of thick leather and metal armor, faces concealed behind a helmet, and they had a small selection of weapons in their belts as well. They were talking about something unimportant to the man, not even giving him a glance. Finally, the scientist reached his destination, a door with no knob, but a little gray button was on the wall beside it. He pressed the button, and waited.



A camera above the door focused on him, and a speaker next to it crackled, "Ah! Dr. Specs! Come in, come in!" boomed a strong, almost friendly male voice. The door slid open, to the top, allowing entry. Despite Specs not being his real name, he stepped inside. No one went by his or her real name here.

The room was small, maybe even cramped; it was an office. There was a metal desk in the middle, with numerous buttons on it and a man sitting behind it in a very large chair. The walls looked mechanical, for blue wires seem to run through them, and all connected to a spot under the desk. The wires glimmered a little, giving off some of the only light in the room, other than a lamp on the desk that is seldom on.

"Looks like someone's been really busy." The man behind the desk said casually.

"You know my line of work, Mr. Big." Dr. Specs said, rubbing his eyes under his glasses tiredly. "Very tedious, very time consuming."

"Indeed." Mr. Big agreed. "What do you have there?" he asked. Dr. Specs approached the desk, but didn't get too close, knowing Mr. Big had made it a rule not to. As friendly as he appeared now, Mr. Big could get quite angry and loud. Mr. Big's figure couldn't be distinguished, for it was so dark. He almost seemed fused to his giant, velvet, spinny chair, with only his eyes visible as they gave off somewhat of a faint glow as well. No matter how friendly his tone suggested, Mr. Big's yellow eyes were always narrowed. He was mysterious, Specs wonders from time to time why he never leaves his office or even his chair, but he had worked here for so long that he knew not to ask. Specs placed the files on his desk, then took a step back warily.

"Information on someone you might be interested to enlist to your…company." Spec's humor always seemed to be sarcastic and mocking, usually the thing getting him in trouble with his co-workers, but never his boss. A dark hand extended and grabbed the folder, and it was slowly brought up to Mr. Big's face and opened.

"Hm, strength, flight, the usual…ooo?…This is interesting." He said, reading over the material again, quite impressed. "Very interesting." He read it over a couple more times, making sure he didn't miss any detail, then closed the folder and put it in front of him. "You never cease to amaze me, Specs. Once again, fascinating!" Dr. Specs bowed his head, his silent way of saying thank you so he didn't have to change his expression. "You truly are a master at research."

"Should I assemble a team?" Specs asked, getting to the point and steering clear of the compliments.

"By all means, fetch the boy!" Mr. Big ordered excitedly, with a tint of wickedness. But seeing how tired his employee was, he decided to do a little of the work for him. He pushed a button on his desk and leaned over to a microphone. "Doberman, Rottweiler, Pitbull, report to the Main Office to discuss arrangements with Dr. Specs." The exhausted doctor still had one more thing to do before he could take a nice nap. Mr. Big was about to hand him the file, but made a pause. "It seems you forgot to write his name down on the tab."

"Oh, my apologies, Mr. Big."

"No problem," Mr. Big sympathized with him for his lack of sleep. He pulled a drawer open and chose a fancy fountain pin to write in neat print: Danny Phantom.

xXx

In a once quiet town, Amity Park, the sky was just getting its darkest for the coming evening. Note: once quiet, which means, not so much anymore. The town is famous for its notorious ghostly troublemakers; to put it bluntly, it's haunted. Ghosts are everywhere, playing pranks, chasing citizens, stealing, and sometimes stealing boxes. It had once even been pulled into a ghostly dimension! Some say seeing is believing, but everyone in this town has seen them, so they all believe. But some people are not sure what to believe about their town's most famous ghost. Most say he's a hero, which should be obvious since he quite often saves people from the not-so-friendly spirits, but still 

some say he's a no good ghost punk. It's believable sometimes, because for some odd reasons he has been caught doing villainish deeds on several occasions. It's still a mystery why the ghost boy stole some money and jewls from a bank, attacked the former mayor, and even tried to ruin Christmas. Some hopefuls say that he was just caught in the wrong place at the wrong time, or maybe he was framed, but there will always be someone who wants Danny Phantom gone. However, up in the sky, it's not a bird or a plane, it's a couple of ghosts, dueling it out. One's good, one's bad, you decide which is which.

One was big and mechanical looking, with green hair that looked on fire as it blew in a nonexistent wind. He had plenty of weapons, which he was sure to use on his opponent. The other appeared to be a teenager, with a black, full body spandex suit minus the head, with white gloves, white boots, white belt, and white hair. He also had a white D on his chest, with a little black P inside it. His green eyes glowed in the dark night, as did the rest of his body, but his eyes glowed the brightest.

"When are you going to give up, Skulker? Stalking me doesn't really improve your image." shouted the boy, apparently the winner from former battles. Skulker simply growled and kept fighting, not liking one bit that he was taking a beating from a kid, again. It was unlikely, not to mention embarrassing for the greatest hunter in the ghost world.

"A good hunter never gives up until he finally makes his kill!" the machine man retorted back, throwing a good punch into the boy's face. He quickly recovered however, and threw an even bigger punch back, enhanced by luminous green energy surrounding his hand. This "ectoblast" hit Skulker head on, and left him dazed for enough seconds for the teenager to prepare another. But he dodged and activated a giant machine gun that aimed and tried to pelt the boy with infinite tiny bullets, which could have done him in if he hadn't made an "ecto shield" around himself.

The skirmish was violent, but soon over. Skulker simply wasn't fast enough to avoid each and every one of his opponent's aggressive punches. He only had to be caught off guard once to be blasted to the ground, and sucked into a strange device the ghost boy grabbed from his belt. It was thermos shaped, and the bright blue light simply engulfed Skulker, and he was so weak, he couldn't fight being pulled into the void, and then the enemy was gone, or so the ghost boy thought. After relishing yet another victory, the ghost boy started to fly away, on patrol for any other baddies out there wreaking havoc. _It's getting too easy now._ He thought optimistically, remembering how hard it had been to beat that same maniac before.

Meanwhile, on the ground, a muscular man basically camouflaged with his dark armor had observed the whole thing from his hiding spot in the shadows of an alley. He glared at the ghost boy, flying away, and then pressed a button on his wrist. "He's coming your way, Pitbull." Another identical man, further away, crouched down and aimed his weapon at the oncoming target. It was black, and the end of it started to glow blue, some kind of a laser gun. Unfortunately for Danny Phantom, these guys were professionals, perhaps more so than Skulker was when he was alive. He probably could have defeated them without much conflict if he wasn't caught by surprise.

Danny stopped in mid air, and screamed in agony as pain exploded within him, the laser hit him perfectly in the chest, and his heart most likely stopped beating for a few seconds. He crashed into the pavement, broken concrete flying all around, and held on to his chest, not sure what had hit him. Pitbull pressed the button on his wrist. "Follow your radars, I got him down."

_Who the hell was that?!_ Danny thought, opening his eyes to look around, the luminosity of his eyes growing brighter with anger. He staggered up, the pain quickly subsiding, and prepared to fight. His attacker emerged from the shadows, laser gun aimed at him again.

"Don't move, Mr. Phantom."

"Don't count on it." Danny took to the skies and blasted the ground under Pitbull's feet. It made him fall down, but he wasn't drastically hurt. Danny couldn't hurt him, he was human! Or at least he appeared human. Why did the Guys in White have to give him such a hard time? Can't they see that he's trying not to kill them?



Pitbull got up, and quickly shot Danny again. Yep, definitely professional. Danny's scream woke up everyone in that subdivision, that's for sure. It didn't hurt quite as much as it did the first time since he saw it coming, but the pain was still intense. Danny made sure he didn't fall to the ground this time, instead he made an ecto blast that shot Pitbull in the stomach, but didn't hurt him too bad. What had he done to deserve this? He wasn't hurting anyone! At least no one innocent.

The Guys in White really need to_…Wait a second _he thought. "You're not the Guys in White!" he accused. Of course this man wasn't, he was wearing all black, they couldn't be part of the government organization that hunts him for no reason. Then again, this man seemed to attack him for no reason too. Danny saw the man get up again, and swooped down to grab him. The ghost was quite strong, for he lifted the heavy man and threw him into a dumpster. "Just what do you want?" he grumbled, irritated that he was once again being hunted by those he protects. All the sudden he was hit again, by a red laser beam and it hurt just as much as the first. He collapsed to the ground, sizzling, and panted, something he didn't do very often while in ghost mode.

Doberman had snuck up behind him, and Rottweiler came with their black van screeching to a halt soon after. Danny glanced at his new adversaries, and glided up into the sky to at least try to avoid another painful shock. He blasted the ground under the other two, as Pitbull climbed out of the dumpster. They all fired away with their laser guns, but this time Danny did well with evading them. But, this would be a losing battle for him, he can't stay here to fight them, and someone could get hurt. Even if they attacked first, even if they were at fault and his was only self defense, he would never be able to plead his case if he had injured a human, worse yet killed one, and he would be labeled an enemy forever. Being the only choice he had, Danny fled. He flew as fast as he could out of their battlefield in the streets.

He kept soaring for several minutes, looking back every so often to see if they were following him. He caught a glimpse of their black van a few times, but at one point he was confident he got away. After a sigh of relief, he decided to land. His hiding place of choice behind a car.

_Well tonight took a turn for the worst_ he thought. _At least I caught Skulker_. After checking to see if the coast was clear, two blue rings appeared around his waist. One went up, the other went down, and they revealed his other form, his less daunting human form. Danny Fenton wore blue jeans, red and white tennis shoes, and a white t-shirt with a red collar and a little red oval. He had raven black hair and bright blue eyes, although not near as bright as his green ones. He took a peek from behind the car and saw that no one was around; perhaps he did have good luck sometimes. He began walking home, too tired to race home for curfew; who cares if he had school in the morning? He just fought a crazy hunter ghost and three crazy ghost hunters, he needed some sort of break.

He put his hands in his pockets as he gazed apathetically up at the streetlights he ambled past. He was thinking, thinking about how long it was going to take for this town to accept him. To stop hunting him and accusing him of being evil. One would think saving them so much would be enough, but no, they still need some convincing, but what? _What do I have to do?! He _thought. _When will you stop hiring people to destroy me?!_

All the sudden, he heard a noise, a very strange noise. It sounded robotic, like whirs and hums of a vacuum or something. It was faint, so he didn't stop and think about that, instead he kept on going…but he stopped when the noise was getting louder each second. _Is something following me?_ He turned around…but saw nothing. And, as of this moment, he didn't hear anything either. It was silent, dead silent. After standing there for a few more seconds, he turned around and continued his stroll. Just as before…it was a matter of surprise that did him in.

Without much warning, before the sound of the whirring and humming could reach Danny's ears again, a large gray, metal coil curled around his body and plucked him right off the ground. He yelped and struggled, but the coil was like a snake as it squeezed the breath out of him and made it impossible to move. It pulled him through the air, and Danny couldn't even see behind him where he was going, or notice that he dropped his Fenton Thermos. He was thrown into a metal chair, inside the black van. Metal bands then held his wrists down to the arm of the chair and his ankles to the legs of the chair. The inside of the van was bright, with many lights on the ceiling, and blue wires flowing through the walls. It was covered with buttons and switches, and Danny looked up at the woman in the lab coat, just standing at the van's doors with a clipboard and pen, staring at him.



This all happened so fast, Danny wasn't sure what to think. "What's going on?" Danny asked alarmed, squirming in his restraints. He wasn't able to move anything, the chair was bolted to the floor.

"Don't struggle." The woman told him, not smiling or smirking, just an earnest frown.

"Is that a threat?" Danny retorted angrily. What could this woman want with him? He thought about phasing, but could he really do that without her suspecting anything? Was escaping random abduction worth revealing his secret…maybe.

"It's more of a warning, you'll see what I mean." She said, writing something down and frowning a little harder. Danny glared back, gritting his teeth. "And don't try your little intangible trick either, it won't work." Danny blinked at her, confused, and tried to go intangible as a test, but he couldn't! The chair was ghost proof!

_What?! Does this mean…she knows?! But how?!_ Danny thought, now terrified and struggling even more, his hands shaking. "Wha, what are you talking about?" he asked innocently. The woman raised an eyebrow at him. "Who are you?" he demanded, trying to hide his fear. His eyes suddenly darted to the doors, as Pitbull jumped into the van and closed them behind him. Rottweiler and Doberman were driving the van, Danny could feel the vehicle moving now. "It's you!"

Pitbull didn't even acknowledge he was there, instead he stood beside the woman and waited for orders. "What do you want with me?" He asked, but no response. "Answer me!" Panic was rising.

"You ask a lot of questions." The woman observed, jotting something else down.

"Let me go! Or you will regret it!" Danny shouted, trying to sound fierce and trying to go ghost, but alas, he could not. No comment, no banter, no threat, it was cruel. The adults could sense his fear, and they weren't listening nor giving him any explanation.

"Should I proceed, Miss Pry?" Pitbull asked, his voice coarse and almost inhuman behind the metal helmet. Pry nodded, and Pitbull approached a switch on a wall. Danny watched him, full of anxiety. He watched him pull the switch, and the lights in the van flickered as a compartment in the ceiling opened and revealed a strange device, and slowly lowered it down. Danny again heard the mechanical whine, but it wasn't the monster coil.

"What is that?" Danny asked, seeing it get closer to his head. It was a helmet of some kind, resembled a bucket, but it appeared very high tech. It had lights and buttons and numbers that displayed readings of who knows what. Danny tried to move out of the way, but he couldn't do anything, he couldn't stop this.

"Stop struggling." Miss Pry warned again, but Danny wouldn't listen, besides, she didn't listen to him.

"What are you going to do to me?" Danny asked, half angry and the other half worried. "What do you want with me?" The helmet now hovered directly on top of his head, and a metal band wrapped around Danny's mouth, holding his head still to the back of the chair and preventing him from asking anymore questions.

"Your services." Miss Pry finally answered, though Danny unable to hear, as Pitbull pressed a button next to the switch.

The helmet flashed white like a bolt of lightning, then the whole van was filled with black light. Danny tried to scream, but it was all muffled. Black sparks flew off of his body, as an evil force took hold. Every joint, every vain, every cell of him had been shocked, his head pounded, and he shut his eyes tight to make these images go away. His life flashed before his eyes, in a continual eruption of color. He saw memories, wants, dreams, and nightmares. He saw his parents, his friends, his enemies, his love life. He saw his archenemies, his future self, and allies, and all the while these images were beginning to be blurred and fall apart, like his brain was being scrambled like an egg. This pain was worse than all three of the shocks from before combined, and the more he struggled, the more it hurt. The 

only point where the pain stopped was when he sat still, and to end the pain he did sit there and forget everything about reality. Conscious is not a word that could describe him at this point. He slumped in that chair, almost lifeless, watching the images go by, completely oblivious to what was going on.

Soon, everything was forgotten, his psyche was being molded into something new. Different images passed by his mind, but Danny couldn't tell what they were. Maybe voices were telling him what to believe, thoughts like _forget_ and _remember_ were there and gone in a flash. There was no telling how long he had been under that helmet. Minutes turned into hours, hours could have very well turned into days or even weeks, for Danny had lost all track of time. He had no thoughts…he just reclined there. But at one point his vision just became blank…nothing happened, all was quiet, and then he opened his eyes.

He stared at the white ceiling, found himself in a bed under white sheets and maroon covers, still in his blue jeans and t-shirt, and having no worry whatsoever. Not a care in the world. Sunlight leaked through a single, closed window next to the bed, being the only light in the room. _My first day in the new neighborhood_. He thought peacefully.

He jumped out of bed, a little excited, and went directly to another room, the bathroom. He knew exactly where everything was, toothpaste, soap, combs, everything, and started his daily routine right away. He brushed his teeth and hair, he found a change of clothes easily, and he wasn't bothered at all. His dwelling was like a hotel room, except slightly bigger and all by itself. It had a bedroom, bathroom, a kitchen, a front door and a back door. It was like a very small house, but it was perfect if only one person was going to live there. Danny was already settled, his clothes were already folded in drawers, he had a computer, and NASA posters were on his bedroom walls.

Everything was normal, he believed, he just arrived to his new home to escape the dangerous real world. Outside this perfect community there were sickness, crime, and war. Everything was going to be great here, it's a fresh start, a new beginning…but little did he know it was also a malevolent charade.

xXx

Why is it fun to torture Danny? I mean almost all of us want to put him in some horrible situation. Anyway whatcha think? I know, it might be too early to tell if it's any good or not, but I'm trying. Next chapter's gonna be fun, I'm going to introduce the other heroes! (or villains –shifty eyes-) I already know what I'm going to do so I don't need suggestions, but comments are nice. Very nice, yes. Am I scared of you all? Maybe. Thanks guys!

-Darkness


	2. Warm Welcome

**MoonrockBlink1772**: Thanks! For the review and clearing up what an AU is for me.  
**bloodmoon13**: Thank you, now let's see if I can explain this. You go to your login and you will see on the left places to go. You need to upload a document (or first chapter) in the Documents section, then go to Stories, Guidelines, then accept the terms and conditions and what not (you should probably read them too). Then you can go to New Story, and it will tell you what to do from there. I hope I was helpful, if I wasn't I'm so sorry. But thanks for reading.  
**piloneo**: w00t!  
**Phantom-figure**: Yay indeed, I updated!

xXx

Ch 2: Warm Welcome

If one were to fly over the Community, they might be pleasantly surprised at how neat and well kept it appears to be. It covers quite a few miles, but everything is within walking distance, mostly because its occupants can't drive. It is surrounded by a very large white wall, possibly made out of cement, that stands hundreds of feet high. At one end is the neighborhood, at the other end is the ominous building, from which no one comes out, but no one goes in.

The building is as massive as the wall, maybe even stands a little higher. It is black, with some tints of metallic blue on the many roofs, for it basically looks like office building after office building being piled on top of each other. A front door isn't visible from the standing point at the tall black gate, which surrounds it and is always locked.

The neighborhood is organized and uniform, with very few sidewalks and absolutely no streets at all, for there are only about twelve houses, three of which are still vacant. All the houses look the same, at least on the outside, having white walls, red roof shingles, and a few windows. The only thing different about each home was that each red, front door has gold lettering on them. There were four columns and three rows for the houses. Row one had the gold letters A1, A2, A3, and A4. Row two had B1, B2, and so on. The sidewalk goes up to each household, and is surrounded by lush, neatly cut grass that seems to never grow too tall, and only turns color in the winter. Every now and then when walking down the sidewalk, there is a healthy little bush or a patch of flowers to admire next to the path. On this particular day, the grass is its brightest green and the sky is blue, with a few fluffy clouds rolling by. The climate is perfect, as it always is.

In the middle of the two ends is a plaza, a circular area paved with gray stone with sidewalks that branch out to other parts and signs informing one where they are going. One way is a park, another leads to a variety of eating places. One way is a little hospital, another is an arcade, and another was a swimming pool. The last pathway led to the black gate, but not many visit that place often, there's nothing interesting to do there.

"Attention, everyone!" it was a male's voice, but the sound came from the many speakers placed in the Community. One was in the plaza, in the neighborhood, at the pool, in the park, and at the gate. They were all tall brown poles with two gray, coned speakers that are very audible, even from inside the buildings. All heads tilted toward the speakers, although not all devoted complete concentration.

"Attention, I'd like to inform you all we have a new resident today," This made people pay a little more attention. "Located in B4, be sure to give him a warm welcome! That is all." Mr. Big cut off his mic.

Danny heard the announcement from his bedroom, somewhat appreciating that he has been recognized in such a sociable manner, even if his name wasn't mentioned. As much as Danny Fenton could remember, he came from a hectic part of the world where there would be no peace any time soon. He had no parents, no family at all, and he was surrounded by the corruption of people. He was a worried halfa that wished not to be discovered, in fear of human disapproval, and with so much distrust around him that could have happened any day. Just as he believed that someone was about to find out his secret, he received an application to come to this perfect society, or so the letter said, with so few people it would be impossible for someone to catch him during his transformation. Plus, there was no crime, it said, so Danny believed that he wouldn't even have to transform. This was the chance of a lifetime!

Danny had just finished cleaning himself up when he heard his doorbell. It was a nice little ding-dong, it made his home feel…like home. He was quick to answer, and smiled politely at the girl on his doorstep.

She looked around his age, was about his height, and Danny had to admit she was…attractive. Her orange hair was in long pigtails, and she had a very sweet smile. She was caucasian, had a decent complexion, however had some freckles under here bright blue eyes. She wore a pretty blue dress that went a little over her knees that had a white collar. She was a bit surprised herself at Danny's appearance, she could have blushed, but no one could tell.

"Hi there neighbor!" She greeted, waving one hand.

"Hey," Danny said, smiling back.

"Welcome to the Community," she held out her hand, and Danny took it and shook it. "My name's Jenny."

"Danny." He replied.

"Nice to meet you, Danny." She let go of his hand and brought both of hers to her side. "I was the former new kid, I was told it's tradition for the former new kid to welcome the new new kid." She wiggled a little under Danny's gaze, maybe a little nervous. "So, you want me to show you around?"

"Sure, why not." Danny left house B4 and closed his door, then accompanied Jenny down the sidewalk. They took a nice slow stroll, Danny finally taking all of the beautiful, even if a bit repetitive scenery in. It's a nice day, the birds are singing and the sun was bright, a perfect day for a walk.

"Like it so far?" Jenny asked, time for small talk.

"I guess so."

"You'll love it here, it's so peaceful."

"How long have you been here?"

"Some months ago I came here," she said, looking up at the sky. "I came from a bad place, ya know, and this place really is an improvement."

"So far, same for me too." No one in the Community often spoke of their lives before they arrived here. Some are too tragic, others just want to forget it completely and start over. So that subject was dropped.

"I'm sure you've heard that it's not crowded." Jenny said.

"Well, how many people do live here?" Danny asked. Jenny thought about this for a second, counting on her fingers.

"Nine, I believe, including you anyway. All kids and teenagers."

"Really?"

"Yep," she smiled, showing that she may have liked the idea that kids were in almost complete control. "Actually there are a few adults around, but I think they just work here, cuz I haven't seen any other houses." The two reached the plaza, and Jenny pointed out all the pathways. "No matter where you go, everything is free, and everything is almost always open, so you can just go wherever you want."

"Sounds good." Danny read the signs, and was eager to see all of these places. He looked a little discouraged at the sign for the Hospital though. "Why is that here?" he asked, pointing to the sign. Jenny turned her head to it, and could understand why this would bother him.

"Don't worry about that," she reassured. "It's just if we need a band-aid or some cough drops or something, nothing big." That was a relief, but the letter Danny got did say that there weren't any major diseases. "Plus, you'll like Dr. Hoax, he's the nicest man you'll ever meet." Jenny started walking towards the park, so Danny instinctively followed. "We'll meet him later though, you should meet the others."

Now Danny was the one who may have been a bit nervous. Jenny accepted him pretty quickly, but how will the others react? He could only hope for the best, but something told him everything was fine, surely kids who live in this perfect place had good tempers.

xXx

The park was coming into view. The long walk there was pleasant, just as the walk to the plaza was, but the anticipation of meeting everyone was killing Danny. But Jenny was a good guide, and even if things didn't go well at least he had one friend. Danny saw benches and many trees that provided a generous amount of shade. He saw a sand box, a swing set, a slide, and a large jungle gym. The swing set was currently in use, and it was the first the two walked up to. A little girl, possibly a kindergartener, was swinging fairly high for such a small body. She had blond hair in short pigtails, blue eyes, and a blue dress with a black stripe along the middle. When Danny was in her sight she gasped excitedly, and jumped off the swing to run to Jenny and Danny.

"H-Hello!" she squealed, apparently the benevolent type. "You're the new kid, right? I love making new friends!" Well that was comforting to know for Danny.

Jenny giggled a little, the little girl was always so animated, and it was kind of cute. "Bubbles, this is Danny."

"Hi Danny!"

"Heh, hey Bubbles, nice name." It wasn't intended as a joke, the name certainly suited her with her cheerful disposition.

Bubbles clenched Danny's hand tightly and dragged him away from Jenny. "You have to meet my sisters!" Danny almost stumbled at the very sudden action, but was quick to keep up with the energetic Bubbles. Jenny just smiled and let Danny be whisked away, not a worry on her mind.

Danny was pulled over to the jungle gym, another little girl the same age as Bubbles sitting on a low platform. She had red hair, pink eyes, and the same outfit as Bubbles, but pink instead of blue, also a red bow that held her hair in a ponytail. She was reading a book, something a little more advanced for her, but nothing above 6th grade level. She glanced up from her diligent studying and saw her sister and the new kid, rapidly getting closer. She marked her place and put the book aside, ready to give her warm salutation.

"Danny, meet Blossom." Bubbles quickly introduced, coming to an immediate stop.

"Nice to meet you." Danny made a few pants, Bubbles was a fast little thing!

"Likewise, Danny." Blossom appeared much calmer than her sister, but just as charming. She grinned and blinked her eyes, glad to see a new face.

"Now where is--" A sound and a blur cut Bubbles off. A third little girl plunged into the ground in between the three, making dirt fly everywhere. When it cleared, it revealed that the third girl had black hair, green eyes, a green dress similar to her sisters', and she had an intimidating grin for someone so young. She smirked, and Danny wasn't sure if she was angry or happy to see him, and did she just jump from the top of the gym? You think she could have broken a leg doing that. Bubbles planted her hands on her hips.

"Gee, Buttercup, didja think you could have been a little more dramatic?" she asked, basic sibling quarreling setting in. Blossom didn't care too much for her entrance either, but she chose not to say anything to avoid sarcasm from Buttercup.

Luckily for Bubbles, Buttercup ignored her statement and fixed her eyes on Danny. "So, new kid, huh? Well that's just fine and dandy but let's just get one thing clear: I'm tougher than I look." Danny thought she looked pretty tough before. "And you will refer to me by my name Buttercup; not little kid, girly, or anything demeaning, got it?" Quite the demanding little tyke, Danny thought, though didn't dare say it aloud. Not the best first impression, but Buttercup still smiled at him, at least it looked like she did.

"Sure." Danny said coolly. Jenny had finally caught up, and was happy to see that Danny still had his arm that Bubbles had so abruptly jerked. Plus, they all looked like they were properly acquainted, one less thing she had to worry about.

"C'mon Danny," Jenny signaled to him, walking down the sidewalk again back to the plaza. Danny hurried after, and Bubbles was about to follow too, but Blossom grasped her arm first.

"Give him his space, Bubbles. It's Jenny's turn to show someone around, you can show Danny all of your favorite places later." Bubbles shoulders dropped, but only for a second, because she made sure that she gave a lively wave goodbye to Danny, as he walked off.

"See ya later, Danny!" She giggled, Danny's going to be fun, she could tell.

xXx

"So where we off to now?" Danny asked, once they were on their way again.

"The Arcade." Jenny simply stated. "The Dexters hang out there a lot. They're pretty smart, the younger one is especially impressive."

"The Dexters?"

"We have two of 'em." Jenny explained. "It was quite confusing at first, but we came up with a system for them."

"What do you mean?"

"We started to call one of them big Dexter, and the other little Dexter, but…uh…little Dexter didn't like that." That's believable, Danny thought. "Then we tried Dexter 1 and Dexter 2. Well then Dexter 2 decided to argue that he was in no way less important than Dexter 1." Danny started to worry, the Dexters sounded like disagreeable people. "So in the end we agreed to call the little one Dexter,…at his request, and the big one just Dex."

"I can remember that." Danny surmised. "So, who are the other two?"

Jenny paused, in deep thought for a second. She hesitated to respond, because she didn't want to scare Danny…she can introduce HIM last, but there's still the other. "This other guy might be there too, since he wasn't in the park." She tried to think of what to say carefully, not wanting to lose "this other guy's" credibility for him. "He's a young kid, not too much older than the girls and Dexter, uh, little Dexter I mean, but he's smart. Maybe at much as the Dexters, maybe even a little bit more, but he's very quiet."

"How smart?"

"He knows a lot of trivial stuff, reads a lot, but he still does some kiddish things every now and then. I think he should act his age more often, no one's a kid forever."

Danny sighed. "True."

They had reached the Arcade. Danny was impressed at the sheer size of the building from the outside, but on the inside…he gawked at all of the video games. He and Jenny walked through a maze of game consoles, they covered all walls, and even made their own pathways. Most of them were off, to conserve energy, but each could be turned on with the press of a button. The lighting in the building was mostly black light, adding to atmosphere, but Jenny advanced toward one of the only regular fluorescent lights she could see on the ceiling ahead. The teens could hear beeps and boops in the distance, and voices too. One was cracked and the other was a little higher pitched. Jenny led Danny through the maze, knowing exactly where to go, to his relief because otherwise someone could easily get lost in this video game jungle.

Finally, they had found actual people! A lanky boy hunched over a pool table, giving his mediocre shot that didn't sink a thing. He held the stick wrong for one, and a boy standing on a chair pulled up to the table just rolled his eyes. The third boy stood on a raised metal platform that could be adjusted by a lever. He focused on his game intently, being the only one who didn't look up at the new arrivals.

They all wore glasses, were pale, and lacking muscle. The oldest had unruly, light brown hair, wore a light blue t-shirt, a ruffled blue jacket, and loose brown shorts. He could have been a year or two older than Jenny and Danny. He waved shakily at them, a shy kid.

"H-h-hey, Jenny. New friend?"

"Boys, meet Danny." Jenny waved her hands at Danny, as if presenting some kind of commercial product. He got a less than enthusiastic "hey" from all of them. It's not that they weren't interested, but they obviously didn't like meeting new people too often.

The most indifferent one of the bunch still concentrated on his game, which he had been playing for an hour straight. He seemed as old as the girls, and could definitely strike a person as a young scientist. He wore a white lab coat, black boots, and purple gloves. He took a brief moment to wipe some sweat from his brow, under his bright orange hair.

"Haha! Major Glory kicks BUTT!" he yelled out spontaneously.

"That is Dex," Jenny told Danny, pointing to the older one, "and that's Dexter." She pointed to the boy at the game console. "And this is Conan."

Conan appeared the most amiable, however slightly aloof. He nodded toward Danny's direction, then made his shot on the pool table. He sank three balls, leaving Dex scratching his head perturbed. Conan stood only a bit taller than Dexter, not counting the height of the chair or the platform. He had dark brown hair, blue eyes, light blue shorts, and a neat white shirt with a blue coat. He also had big, red and white tennis shoes, a black watch, and a red bowtie.

"Welcome to the Community, new guy." He said, not able to think of anything else (and noticing no one else was going to comment).

"Uh, yeah!" Dex exclaimed, his voice cracking. "Hope you enjoy yourself." Poor guy's going through puberty. Dexter never looked back at Danny, worried about losing his chance at beating his high score.

"So, want to try out one of the games?" Jenny asked Danny. He simply smirked, they may have stayed at the Arcade for hours.

xXx

After the Arcade, they moved along to the eatery area. They had a fancy type restaurant, the kind to go eat Italian or French cuisine; a drink stand complete with milkshakes and smoothies; a pizzeria; and much to Danny's favor: a fast food place. They even stopped for a bite, or at least Danny did. Jenny's excuse was that she didn't eat much…and that she ate a big breakfast, for some reason she acted jumpy around the topic of eating. A robot had served them, so Danny has yet to encounter an adult since he got here.

After that they stopped by the pool, which was completely deserted, much to Danny's amazement. He had never seen a pool like this before, at least not in his hometown. It was huge, for one thing, but it didn't go too deep. It had diving boards, slides, and a fountain right in the middle.

"We like to come here when we're all together," Jenny elaborated. "It's not a lot of fun when only one person swims alone, or safe. So we'll all negotiate with each other when to meet here." Danny nodded in approval of the idea, but not so keen that there's no lifeguard, with such young children around. "I don't ever swim though, i-it's not my thing."

"Do you know how?"

"I do, I just don't like it, that's all." Her excuse didn't sound very convincing, but Danny decided not to pry any more. However, he did remember that he still hasn't seen the 9th resident. He thought they would have come across him on they way here or at the restaurant area, but Jenny hasn't mentioned anything about it yet.

"Isn't there still someone else I have to meet?" He brought up the courage to ask. "The 9th kid I mean." Jenny shifted slightly, she had been avoiding the subject all day. She wondered what to say, and how she would be able to introduce HIM without making anyone angry. But afternoon was approaching, maybe he's in a good mood. It had to be done anyway, she realized, she can't hide Danny forever. Heck, SHE can't hide forever, she had neglected to check HIM all day just to help Danny. "Jenny?"

She shook away her thoughts, coming back to reality. "Sure, Danny. Let's go."

"Where do we need to go?"

"I know exactly where he is."

Danny realized they were walking in the direction of the Neighborhood. If she new he was there the whole time, why didn't they stop there first? The way Jenny always seemed to stop and contemplate about something instead of keeping up a conversation really made Danny uneasy.

"So…does he have a bad temper or something?" He asked once they finally reached the Neighborhood's sidewalk, exchanging the minimal amount of words.

"You can say that." She said. She dwelled on that a little longer, and could tell that Danny wasn't completely satisfied with her answer, so she might as well just tell him. She sighed hopelessly. "Danny…he's sick." This definitely surprised him, and he was about to ask "how sick", but Jenny spoke again before him. "I know the letter you must have gotten said that there were no diseases, but he's an exception." She clasped her hands behind her back, staring at the ground sadly as they continued to walk. "He's not contagious, but apparently there's no cure, not yet. Dr. Hoax said that the staff is working on helping him." She explained, Danny paying close attention. "He's here because…his condition is so severe it won't let him survive in the outside world. But, his condition also makes him a bit irritable."

Her words certainly had an impact on Danny, he hadn't even met the guy and he already felt sorry for him. "Most of the time no one here even wants to be around him, it's kind of sad." She continued. "So now he hates everyone, he'll probably already hate you."

"Then we don't have to bother him, if he doesn't want to meet me." Danny suggested. Jenny shook her head.

"No, if he sees you randomly in the Community, he'll go ballistic. Sometimes he makes it blatantly clear that he doesn't care, but it's best not to surprise him. Oh, I should warn you," Jenny stopped and looked at Danny, using her hands with her speech to emphasize how important this information was going to be. "Don't stare at him, he hates that. Try your absolute hardest to not argue with him, even AGREEING with him can make him angry with you. Don't ask where he's from, how old he is, just…ugh, just be careful what you say around him. And remember, he's sick." Her advice didn't leave Danny shaking in his shoes, but this guy seems like a real mess. No wonder people didn't talk to him.

Jenny stopped in front of house C3, staring blankly at the door ahead. Danny stopped beside her, and her melancholy attitude had turned him from anxious, to outright intimidated. "Ready?" Danny didn't answer, and Jenny didn't wait for one. She started to walk slowly up to the door, and he mimicked her. She knocked the door a few times, and the two waited. Thirty seconds went by, and she knocked again. Danny wondered why she didn't use the doorbell, then assumed that she had learned exactly what to do around this kid.

"Maybe he's not home." Danny guessed.

"He's home, trust me." She knocked a third time, and Danny flinched at the sound of angry stomps that approached the door. Jenny heard them too, and a few seconds later the door swung open, so hard it could have shattered.

"What do you want Jenmonster?" he growled. Danny's mouth gaped open, he broke Jenny's first rule. The kid was green! How couldn't he stare?

"Hello, Zim." Jenny started. "Are you feeling ok?"

"What are you talking about, every day I am amazing!" He beamed, his teeth looked as sharp as a crocodile's.

"Yeah, I know, but does your head hurt?"

"No, my brain meats are intact, though they're slowly melting away each time I talk to one of you people." He shielded his dull purple, almost gray eyes from the sun. "Gah…why can't that blasted ball of fire hide behind one of those stupid fluffy, uh, thingies!" he hissed, obviously not liking the warm rays. He hadn't given Danny one glance this entire rant, even though he's standing right there, staring at his green skin. Not only that, but Zim had no ears or nose, but he did have slick, black, Elvis-like hair. He wore long black gloves and boots, and a violet red uniform with stripes, along with pointy pink sleeves and collars. Obviously foreign attire, but no one ever commented. He had a round, metal looking backpack that has never been taken off. He was short, half Danny's height, but probably around the age of a 6th grader.

_Stop staring!_ Jenny thought loudly, but of course Danny couldn't hear her. He just stared, if only he had listened. Just as she thought of Danny, Zim's rage was instantly redirected to the other teenager, as quick as a whip. His eyes glowered, and it made Danny jump.

"You have something to say, earth monkey?" he snarled.

"I-I-I'm sorry, I was just--"

"This is Danny." Zim didn't look back at Jenny, he was focusing all bitterness on Danny. "He's new." Zim's glare proved to be daunting, Danny couldn't make himself move, or say absolutely anything.

"Ok, Danny, let's get some things straight." Zim seized Danny's collar and yanked him down to his eye level. "I have decided that I don't like you, so you are to stay out of my way, never speak to me unless spoken to, and if at all possible how 'bout you just stay a minimum of 6 feet away from me…Get it?" Wow, and Danny thought Buttercup was scary. Zim was officially the king of jerks, how could this paradise let him in? But then he remembered what Jenny said, he wouldn't survive otherwise. He felt pity for him again for another second, but that turned to terror and tension when Zim shook him. "Get it?!"

"Got it."

"Good." He pushed him away, Danny staggered, then Zim backed back into his house, ready to slam his door. But he paused as he clutched his head, feeling an immense flash of pain.

"Zim, are you sure you're alright?" Jenny asked concerned. Zim didn't look too good, he began to sweat and lose his balance. She approached him with an extended hand to help, but he shut his eyes tight and backed away.

"No…no, stay away from me." He said, clinging to his hair. "Leave me alone," his voice was rising, he fell to his knees, his digits digging into his skull. "Leave me alone!"

"Oh no, not again." Jenny ignored his protest and rushed to his side, placing a hand firmly on his shoulders. "Zim, listen to me." Zim began to twitch and mumble something, in a language unfamiliar to anyone on earth. "You're crashing again, I need to get you to Dr. Hoax."

"No, NO!!!" Zim screeched. "My mission, my Tallests are probably furious with me! I must get back!"

"Zim, you're not making any sense, and you're going to hurt yourself. We need to get you to the hospital." Jenny proceeded to grabbing Zim's arm, which led to louder screaming and a fierce struggle. Danny watched the scene in horror, and he swore he could see actual sparks flying off of Zim's body.

"Danny, help me!" Jenny couldn't control Zim, his twitches became more violent and she couldn't hold him down. Danny quickly responded and held Zim's other arm securely, but the rest of him shook, afraid of what Zim would do.

"Release me! You filthy humans!"

"Filthy?" Danny repeated.

"He didn't mean it, just help me!" Jenny begged, while Zim continued to babble incoherently, screaming occasionally.

"You have no idea who you're dealing with!" Zim hissed. "My mission, I have to get back. Let go! LET GO!"

xXx

There are the others, hope you like who I chose. Thanks for the reviews from before, hope you're enjoying this fic.


	3. It's a Mystery

**truephan**: Your opinion is very valued, in fact I agree with you. I _hate_ my writing style (mainly why I'm here, trying to improve), but it's fun thinking up storylines. Thanks for taking the time to read and comment, really! PS: Sorry, but I'm a Zim fanatic, he has importance in the story anyway.  
**FantomoDrako**: Glad you're enjoying it! I'm trying to keep updates quick, promise.  
**Phillip Clark**: Sorry, I never really watched American Dragon, if that's what you mean, and I don't know Jake's character too well.  
**Data-Dog**: My cruel sense of humor refuses to tell you who Dex is, but me thinks you'll get it eventually. (if you've ever watched the show)  
**Soul Eater**: Thanks, I thought some people might like some Zim, his part's fun to write.  
**Plushiemon**: Yes, where could be poor Gir? With no master to yell at him? We can only hope he is buried in rubber piggies. Glad you like.  
**MoonrockBlink1772**: Thanks, as I had mentioned in the first chapter I hope I won't ruin this idea. Let's see, I believe Zim's from 2001, Jenny and Danny are fairly recent, and everyone else is from the 90's, though Conan's anime. Eh, I can't hide it, I'm a cartoon person (very obsessive) but I'm sure that was obvious.

Yeah, last chapter was a little rushed (I was excited to get that one up), hope this one turned out better.

xXx

Ch. 3: It's a Mystery

When the two teens finally got a good hold on the kicking and screaming Zim, they ran as fast at they possibly could to the Hospital. Zim all the while babbled and twitched, occasionally shrieked, saying the most odd things. He made no sense, sometimes it seemed like he was speaking in a foreign language. Jenny and Danny did their best to try and calm him down, but no words were getting through to him. They also had to keep his hands off of his head, they were like claws as they pierced his skin very easily. On the way, they met up with the Dexters and Conan walking their way home. Being the oldest and most capable, Dex reluctantly helped them, more or less forced to. It was clearly obvious that Dex feared Zim, especially in his current state, but before Danny got here he had always helped Jenny drag him to the Hospital. And even before Jenny joined the Community, he was always responsible for alerting Dr. Hoax if Zim was having another one of his crashes. Of course, Dex was too chicken to get anywhere near the psychopath when those came around.

But still, he helped out any way he could. However on the way he suffered an injury, even if minor. Zim's flailing claws scratched Dex's arm, leaving a fairly long trail of blood to trickle down. Though not a horrible gash, the stinging abrasion left Dex stunned for quite some time, dizzy at the sight of blood and especially his own.

The four had made it to the Hospital, each overall ok except for Zim's mental breakdown. It had taken almost the entire afternoon to reach there, the sky starting to turn orange and purple. The hospital looked small on the outside, a simple, white building with one window and the red cross on the door. An interesting little topiary stood next to the window, the whole building surrounded by green grass and white flowers. They barged through the door, Jenny calling out "Dr. Hoax!" The room they entered had a green and white tiled floor, blue walls, and a white door, which a man just then swung open. Dr. Hoax was the bigger scientist, the one with blonde hair and blue eyes, and currently with a flustered countenance. Though he had dealt with this same ordeal many times now, it still does a number on him. The teens held Zim securely on a white table that connected to a wall by Dr. Hoax's hand signal. He then approached Zim with a syringe that he had pulled out of a drawer from a cabinet in the room he just left. No one was allowed to enter that room, unless asked to.

The needle injected a clear liquid into Zim's arm, and in a matter of seconds his screaming stopped. All anyone could hear from him now was his mumbling, but now barely audible.

"It's ok, you can let him go now." The man said, his voice stern but assuring. The green kid sat docilely on the table as Danny, Jenny, and Dex slowly backed away, having time to calm down themselves. The experience had frightened Danny in a way, not expecting to run that much of a distance so quickly, and all to help a crazy fruitloop. The boys were breathing heavily, while Jenny stood there patiently for Dr. Hoax's orders.

"Thanks guys." Hoax said. "I know that must have been rough." He noticed Danny, and smiled. "You must be Mr. Fenton! Did Miss Wakemen show you around?"

"Yes Sir." After a second to breathe, Danny smiled too. Jenny was right, Dr. Hoax did seem pretty friendly.

"Well, I hope you like it here. I'm Dr. Hoax, but it's ok to call me Dr. Jeff." Jenny seemed to be the only one who still called him Hoax; she had great respect for him and quite often forgot she could think of him as a buddy.

"So, I'll be back for Zim tomorrow?" Jenny asked, a little hastily. Jeff sighed sadly.

"Yep, you know the drill." He lamented, rubbing his temples and taking a glance at the now resigned green child.

"Uh, Jeff?" Dex started timidly, raising his arm. "Is this going to leave a scar?" Jeff stared at his arm for a second, then chuckled.

"Don't worry Mr. Douglas. I'll fix that up, wait here." Jeff retired to his separate room, for about a minute, then came back with a long bandage and some spray on medicine. He cleaned Dex's cut then wrapped his entire arm with the bandage, and Dex had to do his best not to writhe like a wimp. "Don't worry about Zim." He told them. "He'll be fine."

"Thank you Dr. Hoax, I mean Jeff." Jenny corrected herself.

"Now you better get home soon, it's getting dark." He pointed out, looking out his window.

"Sure, bye Jeff." Jenny replied, then led the two boys out the door. Jeff meanwhile glared hatefully at Zim, the little pest.

"Why do we have to get home?" Danny asked, once they were on their way back to the Neighborhood.

"I guess I forgot to tell you." Jenny realized. "We sorta have a curfew."

"Sorta?"

"Well, you see, we have to be in our houses by dark. But if we all want to go out somewhere at night, we can call the staff and ask for permission." Dex explained, with his cracked voice.

"There's a blue phone in your kitchen." Jenny mentioned. " And there should be a paper with numbers on the wall next to it. You can call other houses too."

"Oh ok." This didn't bother him, but the incident with Zim just seemed to be brushed off too easily. He just had to know what that was about. "So…what was that?" It took a while for the other two to think up an answer.

"Zim has problems." Dex simply stated. "Most of the time he's…tolerable, but once his head hurts all sanity is lost. Without warning he'll just start screaming nonsense, no one knows where it's coming from."

"These little episodes of his used to be months apart," Jenny took over. "But they're happening more and more frequently."

"Well, that sucks." Danny said bluntly.

"Tell me about it," Dex agreed. "It sucks for all of us." He held up his wrapped up arm to prove his point.

"I do hope Jeff can find a cure soon." Jenny moped. "It's only a matter of time before there's no hope for him. It's such a nasty little mystery."

"Until then," Dex began. "You'll just continue to follow him around like a puppy dog, huh?" Jenny looked sadly at the stars that started to appear.

"Well, someone has to." She said. Danny had to pity her, it seems other than the occasional help from Dex, Jen's alone in this venture to watch over Zim. It can't be fun; anticipating someone to go completely nuts before you, and not knowing if you'll be able to help.

"Hey," Danny said. "If you call me in the morning, I can go with you to pick him up." Jenny smiled sweetly at him, and then nodded.

"Thanks Danny, that's nice."

xXx

Danny woke up to the ring of the telephone, and sluggishly got up to answer. He hadn't forgotten his promise, he just didn't believe she would call so early. Once he noticed the clock that was in his kitchen as well, he realized it wasn't so early than he thought. He had slept till 10:00, and he still felt sore and groggy.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Danny, sleep well?" just as expected, the voice was Jenny's.

"I guess so, we're leaving now?" he replied sleepily, and Jenny could tell.

"Um, we could, you ready though?"

"Yeah yeah, I'm fine. I'll meet you in front of my house." Danny got ready as quickly as possible, but his bones ached and cracked. Strange, he thought he went to sleep at a good time last night; maybe it's just the new bed he's not accustomed to. He met Jenny, who had been standing patiently at the sidewalk. It didn't seem like she waited for long.

They walked slowly to the hospital, mostly so that Danny could keep up. Jenny wasn't surprised at all that Danny seemed so sleepy.

"Yeah, that happens to us sometimes. Especially when we first got here. We'll wake up feeling sore or drowsy, it's nothing big." Danny didn't respond, at least not right away. It was another beautiful day in the Community; all the residents had gone off to their favorite places and were well occupied. At one point during the stroll, at around the plaza area, something occurred to Jenny.

"Oh! Do you want to come to a party next week? It's the girls' birthday." She said in high spirits, quite refreshing from the depressing topic of Zim's problem.

"Sure! How do parties work around here?" Danny asked.

"It's up to the birthday boy or girl if they want a party, and they get to choose to go wherever they want." Jenny gained a spring in her step, glad to talk about something positive and cheerful. "The staff also gets them presents, it's amazing! Their gifts are always great, it's like they know what makes us happy. We have cake, sometimes a piñata, it's fun."

"Of course I'll go." Danny said, glad that birthdays are still celebrated. In his home town, birthdays were mentioned, but not often given parties. He longed to be a part of a normal birthday party for once. Maybe the Community celebrates holidays too! He'd just have to wait and see.

"Remember the fancy type restaurant?" Jenny asked. "We're going there. For some reason Bubbles really likes it there." She giggled. "I think she just likes the aquarium."

They talked about the party for a while, Danny eager for the day when he could see all of the residents together having fun. But then they came to the hospital, and Dr. Jeff solemnly led Zim to the front door. He told Jenny the usual, trying to comfort her that Zim will be fine and they will find a cure.

"Zim?" Jeff looked at him to see if he was paying attention. "Miss Wakemen and Mr. Fenton will escort you home now, k?" Zim didn't respond. His eyelids were heavy and he appeared completely listless. He looked back at Jeff, but his expression unchanged.

Danny looked at him with awe; compared to yesterday, Zim was the most passive little demon child he had ever seen. Zim walked ahead of Jenny and Danny, knowing where to go, but ultimately detached from the outside world. He never responded to sounds, and only focused on what was in front of him.

_What kind of stuff did they put him on?_ Danny wondered. What could possibly turn the out of control lunacy to this apathy?

"Is Zim invited?" Danny questioned. This sudden concern surprised Jenny, but she found no reason to not answer truthfully.

"Actually, we've always been too afraid to ask." She admitted. She paused. "Do you think we should?"

"Maybe, he might feel better." Danny suggested, although didn't make it too obvious that that wasn't what he was getting at. It made a little sense, but Jenny had to think about it.

"I dunno, he'll probably refuse…but then again, maybe he's just tired of being an outcast." She discovered what Danny might have been thinking. "Maybe he's been waiting for an opportunity."

_I'm sure you'd like to think that _Danny thought, but he simply shrugged in front of Jenny. Even though he doesn't know the kid well, he concluded that Zim wanted nothing to do with anyone. All Danny wanted to know was if he had to stay alert at the party, in case Zim still enforced his six feet minimum rule.

"Ya know, I think I will." Jenny announced hopefully. She didn't notice Danny's grim expression.

They had followed Zim home, although he didn't have an apparent problem until he got to his door. His eyes still looked dully at everything around him, and he stared awkwardly at his doorknob, forgetting what to do from there. Jenny and Danny stood and observed from afar, waiting for Zim to wake up and proceed. Seeing that that wasn't going to happen any time soon, Jenny walked up to him and opened his door for him.

"Get some rest, Zim" she said sweetly as she put a hand on his shoulder. That sudden contact had snapped him awake, if only for a minute. He blinked and turned his head to Jenny, then narrowed his eyes a little.

"Get your hands off me." He uttered, and Jenny quickly complied. The comment angered Danny slightly; Jenny was only showing that she cared, he didn't have to snap at her! But Jenny dismissed it as normal Zim behavior, it didn't hurt.

"Hey, Zim. I want to ask you something." She stopped him before he closed his door on her, mainly by grabbing the door first. "We're having a party next week, uh, a get together…do--" Zim stared at her blankly, having no idea what she's talking about, or if he should care. "You want to come?"

"Now why would you think I'd do that?" Zim asked sharply, raising an eyebrow and folding his arms.

"It'll be fun!" she told him. He mulled it over for a few seconds, both Jenny and Danny amazed he was even considering it.

"Is going to these…part-ees normal human behavior?" he finally asked.

"Um…yes?" Jenny found that an awkward question.

"Well, Zim is indeed normal! Then I accept your invitation!" Zim declared, leaving Jenny ecstatic.

"You do? Awesome! Bye Zim!" She ran back to Danny, and Zim just closed his door and grumbled.

"Strange beings, humans are. Although I'll absolutely DETEST spending time with them…this is an excellent chance to observe them." Zim thought aloud, once no one around could hear him. "Surely they'll regard me as normal if I…ug, what's the phrase?…Hang with them?" He stomped his way to his quarters. "Hopefully these part-ees are not painful." That was a concern for another day, for now he felt really weak.

"Danny, he said yes!" Jenny said excitedly.

"Ok then." Danny didn't completely understand how significantly this meant.

"Danny, you're new, so you don't know how different for him this is! Zim is actually giving us a chance!" Jenny said.

"You think he can change?" Danny asked, not too keen that Zim might actually come and might possibly give him a hard time.

"Of course," Jenny replied, as they started walking out of the Neighborhood yet again, going who knows where. "Anybody can change. Don't you think?" Danny didn't give an answer, which discouraged Jenny. "Oh come on, you don't think Zim has positive human feelings?"

"What do you know about human feelings?" Danny's question shocked Jenny, then her eyes glowered.

"You don't think I know how a human feels? Of course I do! I mean I am one!" she said defensively.

"No, t-t-that's not what I mean." Danny stammered. "I mean it's a touchy subject; everyone's different, and some people are just born jerks."

"O...oh, I see." She contined the walk, feeling slightly embarassed about her outburst. "Well, I guess I like seeing the good in humans, and I still think there's good in him." Again, no answer. She groaned. "I know you think Zim treats me like dirt, but don't you also think that he looked really sad on the way here? He has to be lonely."

Danny realized that could very well be true, Zim did seem forlorn until he had human contact. Of course then he just became mean, but that could just be the only way he knows how to interact with people. He had to credit Jenny for acting so optimistic, but Danny still had his doubts about the green kid.

xXx

Deep in the cold, gloomy black building, the dark office of Mr. Big specifically, Mr. Big spins around in his chair as he dicussed business matters. "Well of course that much," he said, a phone to his ear. He chuckled. "Surely you don't suspect that our services come cheap." He waited for his client to answer, spinning the chair round again. "I'm glad you agr--hm? Oh I assure you," he spoke wickedly. "We are very inconspicuous. We can make it look like a heart attack or a stroke or--that sounds good? Excellent!" Mr. Big always enjoyed these conversations, it amused him to poke fun at other people almost as heartless as he is. True, his clients always felt dirty, but none were moved to change their minds. The deed is done, the deal is set.

For a while they went over the details, the when and where and who to watch out for. Mr. Big jotted down notes, a normal task. "Alright, expect results in the coming week...yes...pleasure doing business with you, heh, _Good_ Sir." He hung up the phone with a loud click, then looked down at his notes and pondered. _Let's see, who should I send this time?_ He tapped his chin with his pencil, and it make a clinking sound. He wrote a name down and erased it, shaking his head. He always tried to pick his agents carefully, based on circumstances. _Well...I just sent Danny on his first mission last night. But his powers, so incredible!_ He thought. _I'd like to see more of that kind of slaughter, quite entertaining._ Like a giddy child playing with his new toy, he scribbled Danny's name on his piece of paper, and two others making the appropriate team.

xXx

Thanks guys who are still reading, I like typing this story. And the reviews are very encouraging, yay!

-Darkness


	4. Party Killer

**Phillip Clark**: Haha! I intended to, eventually.

**Data-Dog**: Yep, ya figured it out. A shame though, isn't it, that show deserved more episodes!

Disclaimer: I still don't own these characters.

Ch. 4: Party Killer

In the middle of a bright busy city, in one of the tallest and most daunting skyscrapers, an elegant and large ballroom of sorts is bursting with laughter. Music from the string instruments of the small band on the stage drifts over all the chatter and gossip, providing some of the only sense of decency for this party. The people invited here all appear to be rich and successful (but not exactly by hard work) and it may be appropriate to use the word "snobbish". They all wear fancy dresses and coats, the women have perhaps too much make up and possibly lips and full faces that weren't originally theirs, and many act flirtatious to those with even higher status than their own.

There are however a few honest folks, but they are mostly the people who work there. One security guard in a separate room on a separate floor watched his screens attentively, making very sure he had done his job. _Make sure no one of my guests steals any of my things _his boss had said, who also plays the role of host tonight. Apparently not every one of his guests can be trusted, as the guard has come to see. The room was small and gray, with a white door and a white desk covered with buttons, which stood in front of a wall of screens. The walls were bare and the room was a little dark as well, with only a few dim fluorescent lights. The man was a bit young, had short, light brown hair and a strong chin, and currently wore the company uniform for the security guards. He had a neat white shirt, blue coat, and kaki pants.

"Hey! Joe!" A fellow guard called, opening the door to check on his buddy. He was a friendly face, although not quite as enthusiastic as Joe, who takes his job very seriously. "It's getting late. You sure you don't want me to just take over? You can go do something interesting like go watch TV or just go to bed or something." He suggested, finding this job a bit dull but knows that his friend has been here for hours watching these same screens.

Though sleep sounded tempting, after barely any hesitation Joe declined. "Nah, things are actually getting good here." He said jokingly, pointing at a monitor with a woman and a man talking, an affair in the making. "You go home, you said your kid wanted you at his practice tomorrow, right?"

"Alright, alright, well is there anything you want?" his friend asked, still lingering at the door. Joe thought about it then joked again.

"Some coffee would be nice." His friend laughed.

"You know they're not serving any coffee down there. Ok, Joe, g'night." And the door closed. Joe swiveled his chair back round to stare at the mingling people, then gave a sigh. He simply sat and twiddled his thumbs…right before he heard a strange noise.

His head turned around to look behind him, but no one had come back in, and no one was there. He dismissed it as nothing and went back to his work, but a few seconds later he heard it again. Again he looked around him, but found nothing. He believed it was a fast _tink tink tink_, noise, like a metal tapping. Probably rats, he thought, although he doesn't recall a report of rats ever before in this building. He suddenly realized he was being distracted, and promptly began paying attention to the monitors again. He had seen a few suspicious people, and his boss had instructed him to write down their names. The guard knew a lot of the people's names well, for they came at every one of these parties, and just now he caught a glimpse of a suspicious looking character and prepared to scribble a name down on his piece of paper. His boss trusted Joe more than his own family sometimes, and he certainly didn't want to get on his bad side. This security job was fine, but he actually wanted to be a police officer one day, and an angry powerful man can easily make that dream crumble.

Again, he heard a noise, but this time it was different. It was definitely mechanical, and it's probably something he should know about. He looked around again, and still he saw nothing. But then, he looked up, and his expression twisted into horror.

A dark silhouette of a creature glared down on him with bright red eyes, and it was clinging to one of the florescent lights with a long, spider-like appendage. Joe's surprise came so sudden, he had gotten up to possibly run for help, for this creature looked absolutely menacing. But as soon as he sprang up, the creature sprang down on him, and he gave out a short yelp. Its spider legs held him down, and he looked straight into the monster's eyes as it suspended itself over him. It wasn't even that big! It was no bigger than a child, but these mechanical limbs were so long and so sharp, it easily overpowered the small security guard who now screamed for help, and after a quick blow to his head, in a few seconds he could remember no more.

"Woooooooo! What a party, what a party!" slurred the host, a fancy glass in hand. He was a slightly balding man, getting a bit large, and currently acting very friendly toward his guests, accidentally splashing some of his drink on them thanks to his wobbly walk. He wore a thick black coat which is now unbuttoned, with a not so neat anymore white collared shirt. The man was decent most of the time, but he often squandered his wealth and had the far too easy life. He was a beloved husband and father, for more reasons than just his money, but of course sometimes his family was neglected. He wasn't always so successful of course, but the way he got there wasn't exactly the most sensitive way to do it. In order for his business to become such a high power, he had crushed many small businesses over the years, and with them many poor humans' dreams. And, as some people might say, he feels no remorse, because he doesn't even realize what chaos he has caused. Another guard had followed him around the entire party, for reasons he now understood. He looked around at the slightly annoyed rich people then at his watch, and put a hand on his boss's shoulder.

"It's late, Sir. Are you tired?" he asked.

"What? Wha- oh, tired?" the man staggered and thought it over, forgot what he said, then all the sudden remembered again was willing to agree with what any one told him. "Yeah I guess I am, I am. I guess I'm a bit…uh…" The guard took that as a yes and began to escort him out of the party, all the while his boss thinking giddy thoughts and occasionally making them known in babbling form.

The guard led the man down a hallway, to an elevator, then to a private room, every now and then having to stop to hold on to his boss's shoulders so he wouldn't fall. You can say he was a bit…tipsy, and he giggled and babbled his way to his bedroom that was conveniently built in his own building. He literally lived in this building, and his family had been known to live in it as well.

"Ok, Sir." The guard said, unlocking the door and leading his boss inside. "You sleep well, mmk?" The man seemed sane enough to dress himself for bed the guard thought, not really looking forward to becoming the man's caretaker. His boss nodded and thanked him, over and over, then disappeared somewhere in his bathroom. Just in case, the guard decided to beat him there and lock the cabinet filled with medicines and sharp objects. This deed made him feel like he did his job, so he could go home and rest easy, right?

It was…strange. When the guard stepped back into the hallway, all of the lights were off, and he was so sure that they were on just a minute ago. He felt a chill go down his spine, the sudden realization he was alone in a dark corridor creeping over him. He looked around, then shook off the feeling and began making his way toward the elevator, but stopped when he thought he heard footsteps.

Back in the security room, poor Joe was slumped in his chair. He was alive, but unconscious, the creature had stolen his post. The dark figure stood at the desk of buttons, and it seemed like a metal tentacle of some sort had sprouted from its back and connected itself to the desk. Whatever it was, it glowed pink and produced a keyboard in front of the creature, who typed away and kept close watch on the guard in the dark hallway. It also watched other screens, and anyone who tried to come close to this hallway was driven away by flickering lights, made so by the creature. Why are so many humans afraid of the dark?

The guard now felt uneasy, and had the idea that something wasn't right. He decided to stand in front of his boss's door, also at the same time hoping the lights would come back on. He thought he heard footsteps again…tiny footsteps, but at first thinking it was only his imagination. Then he heard the familiar voice of the very man he was guarding.

"Hey! Hey, boy are you there?" He heard his boss say around the corner. "I can't see, could you help me?" The guard was confused, how could this be? Was there another door and could his boss had wandered out into the hallway?

"Sir? Is that you?" He asked, already on his way to help. "What are you doing, I thought I left you in--" He came around the corner, but didn't see anyone in the pitch blackness, however he did feel a sting on his neck. It was no more painful than a mosquito bite, but a calm feeling, and soon a sleepy feeling quickly washed over him. He was out cold right where he stood, and after he fell down two tiny hands dragged him and propped him up against the wall, giving the man the appearance that he simply fell asleep on the job. The attacker's eyes seem to glow, or at least his glasses seemed to reflect almost non-existent light.

The man did find a way to get dressed in his robe without making too much of a mess, and was already dragging his feet to his bed. Mid-stride however, or more accurately mid-hobble, the man shivered and brought his robe closer. The bed in front of him was king-size, and it was calling him, he now felt so tired. The curtains of the window above this bed were opened, and let in a great deal of moonlight in the dark room. He was just about to tumble into his warm bed, but shivered more as his room got even colder. His blurry eyes peered around, and picked out the source.

A boy was standing in his room, no, wait, no he wasn't. After much staring the man discovered the boy was floating in his room. He was glowing too, especially those green eyes. The man tried to focus, and could see that the boy had white hair and a black suit, and he was giving him the most stony look, the kid looked emotionless. The man backed away, starting to think that this was a frightening sight, though too scared and confused to speak. He made stuttering sounds in attempt, but nothing understandable, and he only watched as his strange guest moved closer. His eyes grew a little wider, and now he found himself on the ground staring helplessly at the boy floating over him. Two more beings had joined them, for the door creaked open and in popped the figure from the security room and the small boy from the hallway. They came up behind the floating kid and stared down at the perplexed man on the floor.

Fear gradually found its way to the man's face, as the floating boy lowered his gloved hand and pointed it straight at the man's chest. He watched amazed as green energy circled his wrist and then his pointed finger, a green fire growing at the tip. He felt his chest get colder, yet at the same time felt like it was on fire. He started to sweat and made more stammers. These creatures, why have they come for him? What is going to happen to me he thought. Then, the fire seemed to disappear, was he spared?…No, he could still feel the cold fire lingering in the air, it was simply made invisible.

Finally, he had managed to make a loud yelp, but it was too late. He felt a piercing in his heart, and he raised his hands to clench his chest as his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he choked on his screams. Then, he was silent.

xXx

It was night in the Community, and all was mostly quiet. But in the plaza, one could hear giggles and whooshing sounds, just a couple of kids having fun after dark. But, the way that they were having fun had to be done in secret, why so?

Two figures were flying around the loudspeaker and high through the air, one bluish and one greenish. This flight made them feel free and alive, but also sneaky and mischievous. But how is it possible? How are Bubbles and Buttercup able to fly?!

Green and blue streaks streamed in the air, and a pink one soon joined them, but only for a second. Blossom landed on the stone of the plaza and glared at her sisters very bitterly. The two noticed and looked guiltily at her and each other.

"Busted." Buttercup then announced.

"What are you two doing?!" Blossom whispered loudly, showing great anger and frustration.

"We're…we're just having fun." Bubbles said innocently, now lowering herself to the ground and avoiding eye contact with the uptight Blossom.

"Yeah, and why not?" Buttercup defended. "It's our birthday tomorrow, can't we--"

"No, NO WE CANNOT!" Blossom growled. "We've tried so hard to keep our powers a secret this long, and we can't just go and ruin it! What if someone catches us?!" Buttercup just stared at her flatly and folded her arms.

"And who will? There is no one out here, and we're just having harmless fun." Buttercup ignored her sister's glaring daggers.

"Harmless?" Blossom repeated. "If someone saw what you are doing right now, will they think that we're just _harmless_?…Remember what happened at home…" Bubbles now felt awful, near tears, but Buttercup's mind hadn't changed.

"No, I won't remember what happened! We wanted to FORGET that, right?" She argued. "Now, if you excuse me, I want to fly again. Walking hurts after awhile." She then flew higher.

"You get right back down here, Buttercup!" Blossom threatened. "We're going back to the Neighborhood, right now!" Her head steamed when her sister didn't comply, but quickly gained composure once she saw that she was scaring her other sister. "Buttercup!"

"Catch me if ya can!" Buttercup challenged, tantalizing her with the green streaks she left in the sky. Blossom growled and took off after her, chasing but not quite fast enough to keep up. Bubbles watched the two bicker for a minute, then felt compelled to join them, the sound of Buttercup's laugh relieving. Eventually, all three were laughing, as a game of tag became the intent. Even brainy Blossom can't resist a little rough play, still being in kindergarten and all.

"You can't fly forever Buttercup!" Blossom told her, gaining speed.

"We'll see!" she said back, the game becoming faster and more intense.

"Weeheeheeeeeee!" Bubbles squealed, twirling around and enjoying the night air.

The three did loop-de-loops and zigzags, laughing and shouting and no longer caring for the risks. Thankfully, no one could hear them and they were indeed alone and free to delight in their guilty pleasure. But, with one tackle that may have been a little two hard, Blossom and Buttercup crashed into the loudspeaker, and it had toppled over and shattered in various places. The speaker itself was rubble, the pole broken twice in half, and the girls hovered above it with complete shock and dread. They each gasped and stared at each other, panic written all over their faces, and then quickly left the crime scene. They sped toward their house at the speed of light, prepared for the morning to act like this never happened. But it would not matter, all would seem the norm.

"Get one of those scientists down here!" barked one of the armored men. He was in a large room that would have been pitch black if it weren't for the many screens. The particular screen that he was watching had just gone static, the camera had been broken. The wording on the tab under said screen indicated this was supposed to be a camera at the plaza loudspeaker.

It took several minutes, but Dr. Specs had been informed about the situation and had arrived at the security room. The soldier shouted at the lanky man and was quite distressed about this. He told him about the girls' roughhousing and ordered that this be fixed immediately, for who knows what could happen while this camera was out of order. Plus, questions will be asked by the kids if they see this damage. The guards and scientists usually did not mix well, for the scientists were a great deal more clever and made the guards seem inferior. The guards also acted boorish and arrogant all the time, which made the scientists think much less of them. They would always clash, claiming the other was at fault.

"Calm down." Specs finally said, giving the blockheaded man a scowl. He looked at the fuzzy screen and took out a notepad and pen to write the crisis down. "We can have the pole up again tonight, but it'll take a day or two to fix the speaker and camera." This news did not satisfy the soldier in the slightest, and he growled at the conceited Specs.

"Do you know what could happen in two days? Let alone one?!" he yelled, his face behind his helmet turning red. Specs stopped and looked up at this ox of a man, then closed his eyes as he put the notepad back in his pocket.

"I told you we're going to fix your precious camera, that not good enough?" It was obvious that neither man was willing to put up with the other's attitude much longer. The soldier looked like he was about to wring Spec's tiny neck, but not only would that possibly get him fired, Specs already had walked out of the door and went away to do his job. After a huff, the guard went back to doing his.

xXx

Once morning came, the girls excitedly hopped out of bed and quickly got ready for the day. Even if the party wasn't going to start till later that afternoon, a child's excitement isn't easily contained. Once ready, they sprinted out of the Neighborhood and took off for the Park so they could find their friends. However, they dreaded to walk by the plaza, the image of the ruins still haunting their minds. Even more so, they were afraid of what the others would think once they would behold such a sight, but they were even more amazed once they reached the plaza. The loudspeaker was fine, it was up and looked unscathed, maybe even brand new!

"Wha, what happened?" Bubbles asked aloud. The girls were so dumfounded, they weren't sure what to say. Did what they think happen last night…really happen? How is this possible when they all remember? Blossom slowly walked up to the pole and touched it, it was real. She could think of no explanation, and again the girls decided not to speak of this to anyone. Today was their birthday! They chose to think of happier, less scary thoughts.

xXx

The others began to arrive at the party, which was currently underway. Even before the girls got there, balloons, cake, and streamers were already set up, thanks to the hard working and seldom seen staff. The "fancy" restaurant was turned into a little kids' party, complete with piñata, games, and a mountain of presents. The presents were differently colored, obviously the pink packages for Blossom, blue for Bubbles, and green for Buttercup. Danny had walked in with Jenny, who instantly ran to her little buddies and gave them hugs.

"You're growing up so fast!" Jenny said sadly, making this hug a long one.

"Thanks for coming Jenny!" Blossom said courteously, the hug finally breaking. "You too, Danny!"

"Happy Birthday." Danny said with a smile, but yet somehow he still looked surprised when Bubbles squeezed his hand tightly, even after spending a week getting to know every one.

"Come on! I want to show you something." She told him as she yanked him away, Jenny laughing. Danny was lead to an aquarium, and a large one at that, located at the back of the restaurant. It had many exotic fish and many toys for them to play with, such as tunnels and coral. It was surrounded by tables and stood almost as tall as a man, and Danny could see right away Bubbles was mesmerized by it. But after a few seconds of just staring at it, Danny noticed that Bubbles was looking for something, then she gasped happily as she found that something. "There, look there!" She pointed toward the bottom of the tank, at a spot that just looked like a bunch of fake coral and plants. "This is my friend! His name is Danny." A fish named Danny? That would be a coincidence. At first, Danny thought she was talking to him, but realized she was talking to something inside the tank. He kneeled down and looked hard, but couldn't find anything.

"Who are you talking too?" he asked.

"You don't see him? He's right there." Bubbles said, pointing at the same spot he was already looking at, and still he didn't see a fish. But, she wasn't pointing at a fish. "I call him Mr. Spongey." Danny could see now, she was pointing at a sponge, and he almost laughed. Instead he nodded.

"I see him now." He said to humor her.

"Danny, Mr. Spongey. Mr. Spongey, Danny. You know, the new guy I've been telling you about?" She started a conversation with the thing. "I've been trying all week to bring him here to meet you!"

"Bubbles," Buttercup started accusingly, joining the two. She walked up to the tank and scoffed at Bubble's little "friend". "Don't drag him into your little fantasy world." Bubbles simply blinked, not understanding how what she was doing involved fantasy. "I have to say, talking to squirrels is weird enough, but sponges?" Bubbles shrugged and paid no mind to Buttercup's opinion, and simply continued talking to Mr. Spongey.

"Don't listen to her, it's not weird at all." She told the sponge. She then paused, as if waiting for an answer. "No problem, Mr. Spongey!" Danny just chuckled and got up, not at all bothered by Bubbles imagination. Quite the contrary, this little meeting certainly was amusing.

All of the kids did show up, including Zim to everyone's surprise. His entrance made everyone stop and stiffen, not expecting that he would come or that he was invited at all. Even the girls were surprised, and weren't so sure if they would have liked to have him as a guest. He had thrown open the double doors, letting sunlight flood in and had given everyone a vicious stare, then stomped into the building and took a seat. But, as everyone soon could see, Zim behaved himself for a change. He only sat alone at a table, avoided conversation with everyone, and simply observed the party's activities from afar. Apparently he wasn't enjoying himself, but at least he wasn't going around destroying things. Danny took great care with respecting Zim's six feet rule, quite sure that would still be enforced.

During the party, Jenny frequently looked over at him and stared, until of course he stared back and she had to divert her eyes to avoid confrontation. Jenny was worried, Zim looked miserable all by himself and was very tempted to go over and talk to him. Dex noticed this and would every now and then follow her gaze and stared at Zim as well. Knowing how much Jenny cared for the little grump, he truly wanted her to stop worrying and have fun herself. It was decided, since Jenny was one of his best friends he was going to build up the courage to help Zim. Jenny's eyes brightened as she saw Dex approaching Zim, a plate of birthday cake in his hand.

"H-Hey, Zim." Dex began, holding out the cake. "You want some cake? It's good, I promise." And it was, or at least he thought so. Zim looked up at Dex surprised, then his eyes narrowed as if he suspected treachery. Zim gnashed his teeth, which made Dex tremble slightly, but then he calmed when Zim finally took the cake (though a little resentfully).

_Humans like cake! Humans like cake_ his thoughts reminded him, so in an act to appear normal he painfully replied, "Thank you…human." And at that Jenny smiled one of her biggest, Dex glad that he had made her happy. But, to make her even happier he tried to lighten Zim up a little.

"So, uh, nice party, huh?" His confidence quickly fell since Zim didn't respond. Instead of a conversation they had an awkward silence. This kid confused Dex. Conan and Dexter were a bit strange too, but at least they had fun every now and then. What made Zim so cross all the time? Could it have been something that happened outside the Community? Well, it didn't matter. Jenny was watching him and he was determined to make Zim actually join the party, so that she could as well. "You going to play Pin the Tail on the Donkey with the others?…Or maybe Musical Chairs?" A chill went down his spine as Zim glowered, his company no longer wanted. Dex started to sweat, as if he was trapped here by Zim's stare, unable to retreat.

_How dare he talk down on me as if I was some child_ Zim thought hatefully, gritting his teeth. "Might I destroy you?" Zim asked.

"Might you…destroy me?" Dex repeated, not sure if he had heard Zim correctly.

"Well, if you insist." Zim grabbed the nearest spork, which sent Dex scrambling and hiding behind Jenny with a yelp. Jenny silently lamented the loss of Dex's short-lived bravery then turned to him and thanked him for trying. Conan and Dexter who were talking nearby heard the commotion and rolled their eyes.

"Zim, cut it out." Conan said over his shoulder to the green kid still wielding the spork.

"But, that's what I was going to do." Zim protested.

xXx

Bubbles danced around the restaurant playing with her new bubble wand as Buttercup tore her next present to shreds. She flipped open the lid of the box, and whooped with joy for what was inside.

"Alright! Time to whack some heads!" she lifted up a large yellow mallet, as big as her entire body, which she then swung around. "You all better watch out!" She warned the others. "Don't think I won't use this!" Blossom just smirked and grabbed the next present she was to open.

"It's a toy, Buttercup. It won't do any major damage." She said confidently. Buttercup looked at her mallet with disbelief, then squeezed it and heard it squeak. At first she looked at it with disappointment, then she got a smirk of her own and whacked Blossom on the head, over and over. Blossom was definitely annoyed by the squeaks, and the others laughed at her not so amused expression.

"I think I still like it." Buttercup announced, off to go whack other people. Blossom then slowly opened her present, being very careful not to tear it as violently as Buttercup. When she saw what was inside, she was…confused.

"A yoyo?" She said, holding the toy in front of her.

"Wow!" Bubbles exclaimed. "Something other than a book or a pen or something else like that!" A yoyo did seem a little strange to give to Blossom, of all people.

"But, I like books." Blossom said defensively.

"Well, give it a try." Jenny told her. "You might like other things." Blossom read the faces of everyone, and they all seemed to agree with Jenny. So, she put her finger in the loop, and dropped the yoyo, and left it there. She stared at it flatly and didn't know what else to do.

"Uh, looks like you're walking the dog!" Dexter theorized to encourage her.

"Try it again." Jenny suggested, so Blossom rolled it back up and gave it another go. This time she actually made an effort and pulled it back up.

"Hm." She thought about it, determining the fate of the yoyo. "I guess it is kind of cool." So she smiled and pulled it back up again and again, approving of her unpredictable gift.

Buttercup meanwhile had gone and whacked everyone on the head, annoying them with the squeaks. Well, there was one she hadn't whacked just yet, and she was saving him for last. She crept up behind Zim as if he were some unsuspecting prey, keeping close to the floor and making almost silent steps.

Zim had his back turned on everyone the majority of the time, staring at his cake and debating with himself if he should taste it. _They're staring_ he told himself, and the others have given him strange looks over time. _They're wondering why I haven't even touched it_. He poked the cake with the spork as if it were dangerous, and sniffed it. He immediately withdrew from the dessert, concluding that this filth would kill him. "Augh!" His pointy tongue hung out as he made an overly exaggerated sickened face.

Buttercup then smirked and raised her weapon high, then brought it straight down on Zim's green head, and Zim erupted. His arms flailed and he jumped out of his seat screaming. All heads turned with dread, knowing that Zim's odd calmness has gone. And they were right; once Zim looked himself over and found he was not damaged, then spotted his attacker, pure rage is all that could describe the sounds that burst from his mouth. He growled like an animal, his eyes fiery like hell itself, but his stomping closer didn't intimidate the cocky Buttercup one bit. In fact, she smiled like this was a victory, no matter how easy it proved to be to rattle this one's cage.

"You insolent dirt child! You will pay for your attempt to misshapen my undeniably normal head!" Zim shouted; Buttercup did not waver. "I swear," he growled. "You'll rue this day, I'll flatten your frame with something MUCH more sinister and painful than your hammer, don't you think otherwise! It won't squeak either," he went on. "You will be the one squeaking, that's right! Squeaking for MERCY!!!" Buttercup then moved, but closer!

"C'mon Zim, don't be a party pooper." She said cheekily, right in his face.

"Party Pooper?!" Zim screeched, evidently becoming angrier. The others could swear that his teeth were getting sharper by the second and his eyes gave an even stormier gaze. They feared for Buttercup's life, as well as their own! No one dared interfere though, for that would risk an explosion. "That word is as disgusting as you, and you shall not use it to describe me, you understand little monkey?!!!" he threatened, holding up a claw of a finger to her neck. By this point Buttercup began to frown, no longer enjoying the thrill of messing with the wako of the Community. He did appear to be trying to calm himself though, but wasn't succeeding, for the next move he made was towards the door.

"Zim!" Jenny called. "Where are you going?!"

"I've had enough of this nonsense, I'm leaving!" He roared, a foot already outside. "I can't believe I even considered it, thank you for wasting my time!"

"But, Zim--" Jenny extended a hand and approached him, attempting to stop him. She had invited him to help him! She didn't want anyone to leave this party angry.

"You stay away from me, you all stay away from me!" He warned, slamming the door behind him. Jenny stood gazing at the door feeling devastated and guilty, perceiving that her pursuit only made things worse for everyone. Danny then ran up to her and put a hand on her shoulder, aware that she might but certainly didn't want her to blame herself.

The others were left speechless, but then Buttercup yelled hotly after Zim, "With pleasure!" And then stormed back over to the pile of still unopened presents, with a visage of hurt and extreme enmity.

Zim meanwhile marched down the paved pathway, fuming and thinking vengeful thoughts. No one had followed him, so he had no problem with ranting to himself as he reached the plaza.

Zim's backpack all the sudden sparked, sending a surge of pain straight to his brain. His head pounded, and he lost his sight for a few seconds. "Ugh!" He gripped his head as he fell onto the pole of the loudspeaker, trying his hardest to remain conscious. His backpack sparked again, like a malfunctioning machine. Zim closed his eyes and held on to his head tighter, waiting for this migraine to subside, but just as every other time, it only got worse. However, this time no one was around to stop his memories, stolen from him numerous times before ever since he was brought here, which were once again free to return to him: a very painful procedure.

"The Dib? Who is this Dib?" he wanted to know, having trouble recognizing a voice he thought he heard. He wracked his destroyed brain for the answer, his actual history gradually becoming clear. "Of course." He hissed, an image of his enemy materializing into his dark vision. "I will destroy that wretched boy." He began his mumbling in a foreign language, beads of sweat falling off his face. He could no longer lean on the pole for support, for his legs gave out and he started to have muscle spasms on the ground. His PAK sparked a third time, and Zim screamed in agony.

"Where am I?!" he screeched, yet refused to open his eyes to find out. He had them shut so tightly, it's a surprise his eyelids didn't tear. "My Tallests?" he murmured softly. "I will not fail you my Tallests! I have not forgotten, I have not…ugh!" He ripped out some of his fake hair, inflicting more pain on himself. "Why can't I remember?" He saw many faces, but couldn't match them with names; he had lost control over what he was saying. His head felt like it was on fire, his body like a piece of cloth being twisted and wrenched. All he could do was suffer his little seizure on the rough stone, all the while discovering his past, but the pain was so intense, was he going to be found alive?

xXx

Thanks for reading! Sorry for the wait.


	5. Dangerous Secrets

**Phillip Clark**: Maybe they will maybe they won't, we'll find out won't we? Zim's my favorite cartoon character of all time (Danny close second), and once you get to know him you might see that he's more than just a loud, egotistical, inept alien…or at least I do. Thanks for reading

**FantomoDrako**: I know, doesn't he? And you're getting it! Glad to see another Zim fan, have you read the script of Ten Minutes to Doom or The Trial? Cuz it sounds like you have, and those would have been my favorites!

**iron-mantis**: Thanks for the review! But sorry, I've never heard of Zick, don't really know a lot about Juniper, but I do love Mark. As much as I'd like to include him, I can't think of a way to without throwing off the story line (or maybe I'm just afraid of adding chapters, hm, but he might be able to be in, uh, we'll see). Really appreciate the suggestion, but very sorry. Hope you'll still read.

Ch. 5: Dangerous Secrets

The birthday party continued for about another half hour, during which the company gradually warmed back up to the festivities. Of course, no one dared bring up Zim's sudden departure, so that they may enjoy themselves if only for a short while. Even Buttercup seemed to forget about the big scene that she made, though occasionally seemed to be daydreaming as she stared at nothing. Jenny was the most joyless of all, but this was to be expected since she was the one who invited the green kid. She didn't talk much, most likely thinking of more bright ideas to help the alienated outcast. Danny was both glad that Zim had left (so he no longer had to fear about walking too close to him) but also troubled to see his friend Jenny feeling so remorseful. He debated with himself numerous times to talk to her about it, to assure her she was not at fault, but to bring it up would risk sending the whole party into a state of anger and depression again. But eventually all of the presents were open, the cake was eaten, and the piñata was broken, so everyone was ready to head to their normal hangouts.

"Wow," Danny started, looking over all the torn up paper on the floor and the toys scattered about. "It's gonna take forever to carry all of these presents to your house." Surely he wouldn't let the little kindergarteners carry everything home by themselves on their birthday, so he was willing to assume the role to help.

"Don't worry about it." Jenny said sweetly as she walked up next to him. "By this evening the staff will have everything cleaned up and the presents delivered to their door."

"Yeah! But thanks for caring!" Bubbles giggled as she quite unexpectedly ran up to the teens, hugging Danny's arm not so unexpectedly. "Will you play with my new dollhouse with me sometime?"

"Uh, maybe." Danny said politely, happy to make the little girl smile so big. Jenny giggled at such an awkward request to ask a teenage boy.

"Well, if we actually want the staff to finish by this evening," Conan began, heading towards the door. He opened the door with one hand and put the other in his pocket, squinted at the sunlight then looked over his shoulder. "Then we should probably leave now."

"He's right, let's go guys." Jenny announced, leaving as well. Danny watched as the girls, Conan, Jenny, and Dex left, but didn't see Dexter. He found him sitting at a table across the room and his back facing the door. He had his headphones on, he probably just didn't hear, so Danny walked over to him.

"Dexter, Dexter everyone's leaving." He told him loudly, but apparently not loud enough because Dexter didn't budge. He was listening to one of his tapes about theories from scientists all around the world, and was very hooked. "Dexter!" This time Danny practically shouted, and this time Dexter happened to hear him.

"What, what? Dex, I'm hearing some pretty cool stuff here and I would very much like to--" A bit annoyed by the interruption but trying not to get too angry he gave a scolding but as he turned around he realized it was Danny he was talking to. "Oh, oh sorry my mistake. You know you sound a lot like Dex."

"Uh, sorry to bother you, but everyone's leaving and I didn't want to leave you here alone." Danny apologized. Dexter looked around and found out that indeed everyone had left, and nodded.

"Yes, thank you, Danny. I suppose I'll be going too." So the two caught up with the others.

The group never separated since they were all heading for the plaza. The Dexters and Conan planned to go back to the arcade and the girls (even after all that cake) were ready to play in the park. Jenny and Danny walked side by side, not sure where they were going to go after this. Jenny was still moping and Danny still wanted to talk to her about it, so they probably would go to the park and find a nice bench to sit on. The sun was still shining for it was only afternoon, and it was another beautiful day in the Community. Surely such a serene setting would calm her nerves.

"Jenny, are you sure you're ok?" Danny whispered to her for about the hundredth time. The way she stared at the ground and barely talked was starting to scare him, how long would she beat herself up for this?

"Yes, yes, I'm fine. I promise." She answered back, with no anger. They both kept their voices down so the others wouldn't hear. She felt Danny's sympathetic gaze on her and tried her best to manage a smile, though it still wasn't convincing.

The group continued their walk with light chatter and many compliments for the girls and their party. But suddenly Jenny stopped and gained a puzzled expression. "What was that?" She asked aloud, and everyone stopped and turned to her.

"What was what?" Danny asked her, not hearing anything. Jenny shushed him and stared at the sky, waiting for the sound again. The others stared at her strangely, some also looking up and expecting some sort of sound. They stood there for several seconds, hearing nothing, but when they saw Jenny's mouth hang open they new something was up. Or more likely, ahead, for they saw Jenny take off at great speed for the plaza.

"Jenny, what's wrong?!" Shouted Blossom, as she too ran ahead of the group. Soon they all began to run, most confused but some convinced that if Jenny thought something was wrong: something was wrong. They began to pant as they ran, unable to keep up with the fretful Jenny, but a few almost slowed down with fear for what sound had finally reached their ears. When Danny heard it his stomach lurched and his heart skipped a beat, for why wouldn't Jenny run like this if she heard, even if faint, Zim screaming?

It was the worst sound he had ever heard in his life. It sounded as if Zim was being beaten, drowned, and electrocuted all at the same time. It was loud too, or at least it was as they grew nearer to the plaza. When it would stop, the residents would worry if Zim had departed from this world to escape the torture, but it would always soon start up again and send chills down their spines. Jenny paid no attention to what was going on behind her and only looked ahead, expecting with dread to spot Zim's form. When she finally reached the plaza, she stopped dead in her tracks for what she saw.

Zim was on the ground, twitching violently, literally springing off the ground, eyes closed, sparks flying, and for about another minute screaming in torment. His clothes were torn, some of his hair was ripped off, and he was covered in scratches (many on his face), yet much to Jenny's relief and surprise there was no blood. The others soon saw the same sight as they stood with awe behind her, all too afraid to approach. When Zim's scream lowered down to a soft whimper, Jenny took action and held down his arms so he could no longer claw his own face and his eyes could remain in socket. Dex and Danny then held down his legs, and the girls went to fetch the doctor. Dexter and Conan both grabbed an arm, for Jenny seemed to be having trouble. The contact made Zim twitch even more and he fought ferociously. He bared his teeth and was about to shriek again, but instead he mumbled weakly.

"No, no, no, no! I don't care if it hurts, I want to know more, let it come, let it come I say. I COMMAND YOU!" Whether he realized they were there or not, he fought more and more for them to let go. He struggled in their grasp and managed to get one arm free, which then flailed like a ribbon in the wind. Jenny, Dexter, and Conan were unable to grab it, and in fact tried their hardest not to even touch it. However, it scratched Jenny's face…making a lasting, unpleasant sound, similar to a nail scratching the metal of a car door. The boys stared at her with anguish and worry that if it sounded like that it must have hurt horribly. Yet…no blood fell, and in fact when she turned her head to tell them she was ok, she had no scratch at all. Zim growled more and shouted more gibberish, but seemed to stop screaming.

"Zim, stop, we're trying to help you!" Jenny pleaded, getting tired and losing her grip on the maniac. Her voice only made him angrier and he yelled even louder.

"GIR! DEFEND YOUR MASTER!!!" he ordered, but Gir did not come. Gir wasn't there. When he realized this he opened his eyes, which made the children let go with terror and gave Zim the chance to escape. He was now stronger, and he used this strength to push them all off and give a few painful scrapes on their hands. They simply could not believe how scary he appeared now, especially with those eyes open. He resembled a crazed monster from a movie with his inhuman green skin, torn clothes, and his shockingly horrifying eyes. They were opened their widest, with the smallest pupils imaginable, like an angry cat's. Those pupils darted around, quickly giving Zim a picture of his surroundings and his adversaries. As his PAK sparked more, sending another wave of information back to him, it was an amazing feat to simply keep standing. The pain was horrible but he didn't care, he wanted to know more! He hunched over and gritted his teeth to keep himself from screaming again, slightly laughing insanely.

"Zim, listen. You're not yourself, you need help." Jenny said calmly, slowly approaching him again. His eyes narrowed and he jumped back, and letting his teeth open so he could laugh harder.

"You have no idea filthy earth dirt. I am more myself than I ever was before!" He threw his head back and cackled again, almost triumphantly as he stood their twitching and shivering. "I. Am. ZIM!" he shouted to the sky, and for all the world to hear. He then heard the footsteps of his opponents coming closer and took off, with such speed it seemed impossible for a child his size.

He continued to laugh and grunt with the pain still coming, the world turning somewhat white now with his added exhaustion under the bright sun. The fact that he was being chased like prey only made him more determined and therefore faster. He didn't even have to look behind him, he could feel them coming closer, so he darted behind a building and temporarily out of their sight. Danny and Jenny followed dangerously close, but when they skidded to a stop behind the Arcade there was no Zim to be found. Dex, huffing and near to passing out, ran up next to them, and was also surprised to find the space vacant. They stood there in disbelief, where did he go?

Poor Dexter and Conan weren't fast enough to keep up, and they eventually had to stop to catch their breath. They never knew Zim, or Danny and Jenny could run so fast, it was just not natural! Conan panted and looked up to see Zim making a mad dash toward the park.

"There he goes!" he shouted to Dexter, who had lost the will to keep running and lain flat on the ground. Conan didn't give up, and started to run after Zim himself. Zim also was losing his strength and leaned on a water fountain for a while, breathing so deeply you would think he had lost a fight. The true cause was because another memory was returning to him, and after so much torture he was gravely close to being physically and consciously spent. But he clung on, an invader will not go down like this!

Conan stopped at a distance and weakly lifted up his aching arm and flipped the cover of his black watch, apparently aiming with it. _I think I can get him from here._ He thought while resting his finger on a button. _This'll calm him down._ But before he could press that button, Zim accidentally pressed the button on the water fountain, which than sprayed his face with water. A normal person might find this refreshing after such a long run, but Zim found it just as comforting as pouring acid on his skin. He even seemed to sizzle and he screamed in even more pain than before, so he took off running again. Conan groaned and pursued, but then Zim gave an almost aghast glance at him and Conan immediately fell down. He felt like he just got hit in the stomach with a bat, how could Zim have whacked him so quickly, from way over there? Now Conan was too tired to go on so he watched Zim smirk and vanish over a hill.

Danny, Dex, and Jenny had split up, Jenny going back to the plaza, Dex trying inside the Arcade, and Danny taking the park. Danny happened to catch Zim sprint and hide behind a tree planted next to the jungle gym, and hurried straight for it. But when he checked behind this tree, again Zim was gone. He wiped sweat off his face from around his eyes astonished, unaware of the angry Irken perched in the tree like a bird. Zim had to refrain from pouncing on him, instead activating the spider legs in his PAK to climb to the top of the tree. _How dare that human hunt me like an animal?_ He thought darkly, wishing he had the time to rip that boy asunder.

Danny heard scratching of plastic and metal, and looked up to find Zim on the very top of the jungle gym. _What are you, a squirrel?_ Danny thought, amazed how Zim could get up there in such a short time. Zim jumped down to land behind the gym, using his spider legs to do so safely, and Danny unable to see. Danny chased after him, but again, Zim was too fast.

xXx

Jenny searched frantically for Zim, but there was no sign of him returning to the plaza. She did however bump into the girls and Dr. Hoax who were on their way. They were drained for making the jog over here, but not so much as the other residents. Even Jenny was gradually getting tired, but not losing hope. There was no way Zim could outrun them forever in his current state, besides, a concrete wall over a hundred feet high trapped him here. As much as Jenny didn't like to use that word, this was basically the case.

"Zim on the loose?" Jeff asked, extremely worried and a syringe in hand.

"I'm afraid so." Jenny said. "He's completely lost it this time. And now he can run and fry his brain all at once." Jenny did not like the way Jeff was sweating and scratching his head, obviously nervous as he thought of a plan. Could Zim be helped this time?

"Listen girls," he addressed the messengers as well. "He's going to go for the wall, we have to catch him before he hurts himself even worse!"

"The wall?!" Jenny exclaimed.

"Why would he do that?" Blossom asked, equally concerned.

"If he has been like this for almost an hour, his condition has severely worsened." Jeff explained. "Logic doesn't matter to him now, do not take anything he says seriously. His vision is probably spinning, his voice almost lost from all the rambling, and he is ignoring all pain in his body. He is destroying himself by continuing to flee. If he reaches the wall, he will stop at nothing to break through. He could dig, jump, punch it or even run at it with full speed until every bone of his is broken. If we don't catch him now he risks suffering permanent damage." These warnings certainly motivated the girls, for now they were eager to fight.

"Don't worry, Jeff! We'll catch the psycho!" Buttercup proclaimed, shooting off to search with her sisters soon after. Jeff rubbed his temples as Jenny processed everything he had just said again and again. Permanent damage? She can't let that happen, this just can't happen! But…very quickly she began to lose her former hope. If she could, she would cry right now out of desperation, but she could only stare at the ground terrified. Jeff soon noticed this and grabbed her hand and placed in it the tranquilizer.

"Wh-wha--"

"Miss Jenny, I know you. You are younger and faster than I am. You can catch him."

"But, but Dr. Hoax, I couldn--" she shook her head and tried to give the needle back but Jeff pushed it back to her.

"Please, Jenny. Don't worry, you can do this, I know you can do this!"

"No, I can't, please I can't!" Though tears couldn't show, she unmistakably made sounds close to a human sob.

"Now is not the time to lose our cool, Zim needs you, do you understand that?" Jenny stared at the syringe and clenched it firmly in her hand, then slowly nodded her head but still remained unsure. She prepared to make another protest, but decided there was no time for that and ran after the girls. Jeff tried to follow but of course, as he had said, wasn't as fast as the youngsters.

xXx

Jeff had been right about a few things, for Zim's vision was spinning and his voice was getting very hoarse. It's also debatable if he had indeed lost all logic, but one thing for sure is that he needed to escape. Just as Jeff had said, Zim was making his way toward the wall, but almost at every turn he found someone who tried to corner him. He was quickly getting fed up with all of the impasses, and his migraine and aching muscles weren't helping either. They felt like they were going to fall off, but he forced himself to ignore it. After a brief moment to rest sprawled out under the shade of a tree, he lifted his head to gaze longingly at the wall he saw up ahead. The mere sight was enough to pull him back into the unforgiving heat and push on for freedom. Even if that wasn't enough, what would be was the mob he heard approaching. He tore up the dirt and grass as he got up and glowered at Buttercup coming for him. Oh how he hated that over confident smirk she gave, and he would be damned if he didn't give her one last beating for her to remember. He noticed her sisters were approaching, and was well aware that this would have to be quick.

"Out of breath you green freak?" Buttercup asked mockingly. "I've been wanting to do this forever." Seeing that Zim wasn't running this very second, she stopped and punched her hand to show she meant business.

"Buttercup! Don't hurt him!" Bubbles shouted, pretty sure that Jeff wouldn't allow that.

"Don't worry I won't…much."

"You seem quite sure of yourself." Zim answered coarsely back. "But can you deliver anything stronger than a wimpy slap to the face, little girl?" Buttercup than charged at Zim with blind fury, battle cry and all, only to be knocked in the air multiple times and falling flat on her back into the grass. She felt a strong pain in her side, stomach, and back, as if she had been punched and kicked hard. She was dazed for a second, but Bubbles's loud gasp brought her back to reality. _How's that for a friendly goodbye?_ Zim had thought sinisterly to himself.

"Are you ok?" Bubbles asked, afraid of the answer.

"How did that weirdo do that?!" Buttercup shouted angrily, getting up to see Zim run off into the distance.

_How did he do that?!_ Blossom thought as she stopped next to Bubbles to console her, she didn't even see Zim he moved so fast! And as of right now he was getting away, so they had to think about this later and resume their chase.

Eventually everyone had spotted Zim and joined the race, and Zim laughed hysterically all the way to a point on the hill, where he turned around to face them with a wicked and somewhat twisted grin. Getting a good look at Zim, the kids could see that Zim had truly snapped. A mentally sound person would not put up such a fight when they look so obviously battered, with nine to one. They stopped in their tracks, right before the hill so that they may gawk at the lunatic above them as he snickered again deliriously. "Fools!" he hollered. "Did you truly think that you simple life forms would stop Zim? Quite an effort but all for your own downfall!" He raised his fists and shook them in the air violently, giving the apprehensive Jeff something to worry about slipping out. "Your minds are all so puny, you do not even realize what slaves you have become, only to a mind slightly…uh, less puny! But yet so much more puny than mighty Zim's!"

"This is madness!" Jeff insisted.

"So says the _good_ doctor." Zim mocked. "Ug…madness, that horrible dog thing." He took a moment to shut his eyes and hold back another scream. "So many dogs, so horrible, augh! Bologna!" After the memory had passed, he opened his eyes again to see his former neighbors one last time. He noticed that they have taken a few subtle steps closer. "Well, I'm afraid I must be off." He took a step back to prepare for his next spurt of speed. "It's been fun, see you in what earthlings call h-wh- wha?" He felt something on his shoulder, something familiar and at the same time discomforting. It all happened in a second that lasted forever, at least for the two standing atop that hill. Zim turned his head slightly to stare into Jenny's bitter yet also aggrieved eyes. Every single thought of hers told her that she didn't want to do this, not to someone so vulnerable, but they also told her there was no other way.

"I'm sorry Zim," she said with a monotone, jabbing the needle into Zim's unshielded arm.

"Ugh!--" For that split second Zim looked hurt, betrayed, forsaken, and it drove a heartbreaking stake into Jenny's equivalent for a heart. Never had she felt crueler than at that moment, as Zim's eyelids grew heavy and he fell limply into her arms.

All felt it right that it was time to breathe. The show was over, time to calm down. Zim's breakdown was done, and he will be taken care of. The day was not yet over, but after a party and all that exercise some sleep would be justified. After watching Jenny descend down the hill, they all mentally agreed that it was time to disperse, so they did with out a word. All except Danny and Dex headed for their homes, who both waited to escort Jenny home. Judging by her expression, she would want to seek some comfort. Jenny slowly carried Zim and handed him over to Dr. Hoax, who now distinctively relaxed.

"Thank you, Miss Jenny…I know that must have been hard." Jenny nodded dispiritedly and joined her friends, and they all began the miserable walk home.

Why did this act make Jenny feel like she was murdering Zim in cold blood? Why did it feel so wrong? She thought about this deeply as she gazed once more at Zim's beaten and weak frame, and surmised that it simply had to be done. She did this for him, to save him from some horrible fate of a life in a straight jacket. Even if she passes him by tomorrow and he says no thank-yous or treats her no differently than before, at least she'll know she did something right. And she did it because she cared, that had to matter.

xXx

Dr. Specs trudged his way back to the lab and being very bad sport about it. He had just fallen asleep but his nap had lasted only five minutes, thanks to an announcement by Mr. Big. _Dr. Specs, report to the main lab, and wait for further instructions._ He had said. Specs didn't even have to guess what he was needed for, Zim had crashed again. He had warned his coworkers and his boss that it was going to happen again and again if they didn't find a new technology. _They probably just expected me to find it_ Specs thought bitterly. He also couldn't understand why they still needed him to reprogram Zim's PAK, after so many times of being walked through it they should know how to do it themselves by now.

The automatic door opened and he stomped inside, to be met by one of the guards who lead him to the oh-so-familiar side lab. "Right this way, Dr." the large man said.

"Of course." Specs uttered sardonically. _Why do the guards insist to be involved with everything we do_, he thought. _Sometimes it makes me think that I'm the prisoner_.

The side lab was a great deal smaller than the main lab, and built for only one purpose: to brainwash. The whole room was cased with different shades of green metal. It had a black console with a series of buttons and switches, made to operate the many brainwashing tools. There were a few helmets to choose from that hung from the ceiling, a metal chair in a corner, and a table with strange probing tools. These tools were laid out to be used on the matter currently at hand. Besides Dr. Hoax and another guard, Zim was also waiting for Specs. Zim's eyes were closed and his body still twitched, for his life had not yet completely flashed before his eyes. He muttered something so softly he wasn't audible, but with his PAK sparkling much less, it was only a matter of time before he would know everything. He was still under the effect of the sedative, therefore unable to fear what would become of him.

Big, round, metal cuff like objects completely encased his hands and feet and suspended him a few inches off the ground. The cuffs were held up by two extremely thick poles that had switches on both sides, so that the subject might be rotated and raised at any desired angle. Zim's face slightly directed downward so his PAK faced up, so it may be modified easily.

Specs marched up to Dr. Hoax and folded his arms, without giving Zim even one pitiful glimpse. "Are we ready to proceed?"

"Not quite." Hoax replied. "For some reason Big wanted us to wait. He's making some sort of decision."

_Couldn't he have made it before I woke up?_ Specs mentally grumbled; he just wanted to go back to bed as soon as possible. The four stood there waiting for Mr. Big's edict patiently. Specs was a master at not showing what he was feeling, and he truly felt that this wait was ridiculous. Zim continued his rambling and quivering, still unbeknownst of the gravity of his situation. Finally the speaker in the corner of the ceiling made a loud click, and Mr. Big bellowed his intention.

"As you all know, it's taking less and less time for subject Zim's PAK to reject our alternate reality." He boomed.

_Thanks for the update_ Specs noted.

"Over the course of his performances, though he proves to show great skill, we simply are unable to find the correct technology to alter him permanently." Mr. Big continued. "He has become too much of a hassle, and we risk a leak of information to our other recruits. As much as I would like to see things otherwise, he has become more trouble than he is worth." He paused for a moment, being a man who doesn't like to admit defeat and lose anything, whether it be money, power, or property. "Dispose of him." And the speaker clicked off.

The men stared at the ceiling, then at Zim with bewilderment. Despite the obvious reasons why, it never crossed their minds that Mr. Big would actually be willing to sacrifice one of his workers, and whose to say that he wouldn't do the same for any of his scientists or guards if they were any problem? All employees were expendable, and according to the confident Mr. Big easily replaceable. Their business was evil, this was fact, but could they really kill a child…wait, according to Specs's research, Zim was no child. In fact, he's probably older than all of the humans' ages in this room put together. He's from an alien race that is basically immortal, yet is vertically challenged. Just look at him now, he was certainly no human. They had to remove his unconvincing, poorly made disguise of contacts and fake hair which now revealed Zim's true form. Two black antennae on Zim's head wiggled around, hearing but not really listening to any voices. Whether Zim was superior or not, he could very well be a menace to society anyway, wanting the destruction of all mankind. What they're about to do could actually benefit the planet…yet it seemed so wrong to do anything to the currently helpless creature.

"Miserable basterd." Hoax chose to say aloud, and all easily agreed with the statement. But, their job must be done, so no pity could be spared for Zim, and they went back to being the most hardened of humans. What they do is already criminal, so what's one more crime against morals to them. "So…how do we do it?" Specs gave Hoax a very peevish scowl.

"Did you not study my research?" he asked, annoyed by the man's laziness. He looked over at Zim, and concluded that he wouldn't want to go near all of that exposed electricity with no armor. "The cleanest way to kill an Irken." He recited with an impending aura. "You," he turned to one of the guards. "Completely remove his PAK."

"Yes sir." And the big lummox stepped heavily before the mangled alien.

"I-I had a henchman, an an enemy," Zim muttered. "My mission? Oh I have a mission…must get back." He didn't hear Mr. Big's order, and didn't realize what was happening. All he could see were his many memories, shrieking at him to remember who he was, who he is.

The guard placed both hands on Zim's PAK, protected by thick gloves from the flickering electricity. And, after a long moment of preparation, the PAK was removed with a loud click: Zim was disconnected.

And that click had snapped Zim awake, he remembered everything now, and he knew what was going to occur. His shiny red eyes flashed open, wide and amazingly showing some kind of fear, but then he bared his sharp teeth and began struggling in his restraints. He tried to turn his head and face those wretched evil men, and show them just how furious he was.

"Hey! Give that back, it's mine!" He commanded, grunting and squirming more viciously. The guard backed away and held on tightly to the machine, which then also started to fight him. It hummed and whirred, sending thin slivers of lightning into the air and trying to shock anyone near, as if it had a mind of it's own along with a thirst for vengence. Specs tapped the other guard on the shoulder and pointed to a drawer on the table of tools. The guard took the hint and opened the drawer to take out a large metal capsule. He hurried over to his comrade, and helped force the angry device into the capsule, which he then closed with a loud and tough lock. For a few more seconds the PAK made its noises and protests, then gave up and was silent. Zim however was not. "I said: GIVE THAT BACK!" It was obvious the men weren't taking orders from the dying alien, for all four made their way toward the exit. "Hey, don't you dare leave, give that back to Ziiiiiiiim!"

"Put that thing in storage. And wait about a half an hour tops to retrieve the body." Specs ordered. "I'm going back to bed."

"Get back here, get back here!" Zim's voice cracked, and was getting increasingly weaker. "I am Zim!" Once they had left, the thick metal door closed quickly making a loud echoing bang. No longer could any one hear his demands, and they no longer cared. They left Zim screaming his life out, struggling in vain, and Zim spent his last ten minutes alone.

xXx

"Attention all! I have an exciting announcement!" boomed Mr. Big's friendly voice on the loudspeakers. It was the very next day in the Community, and Danny and Jenny were on their way to the Hospital. They stopped however right at the plaza so that they may hear the big news. "You all remember what happened yesterday to your little friend Zim, well now I assure you there is no worry! We have found a cure to Zim's ailment." Jenny's eyes notably brightened at this broadcast, and listened intently. Danny couldn't believe it either, but shared in Jenny's enjoyment. "I am sorry to say though, that he will not be living in the Community anymore." Now all were confused, especially Jenny and Danny. "As soon as his mind was sound, he decided that he wanted to see the world. Now I know, I know, we tried to talk him out of it but he simply would not listen to us."

"See the world?" Danny repeated. "That's crazy, he could get himself killed out there!" He shut himself up too late, and looked over at Jenny to see if she was afflicted at all. He probably shouldn't have used those certain words, but Jenny apparently didn't hear him anyway.

"But don't worry, we're sending some of our staff with him. Please all of you understand, Zim talked to us and convinced us that we need to spread peace to all of the world and not just our Community. Zim is actually a smart kid, and is working to make the world a better place, and we are very proud of him, you should be too." Mr. Big explained. "He wishes you all goodbye and hopes to see you again one day, in a better world, but now he has a lot of work to do. Thank you, that is all."

"Jenny?…Jenny are you ok?" Danny asked cautiously.

"I-I'm great! This is wonderful!" Jenny exclaimed, giving Danny a huge hug. "Zim sounds like he's happy, he's finally happy, and he believes in something good!" She was giddy with excitement, a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. "Though…I wish he could have said goodbye, but at least he wanted to!"

"Wanting to spread peace, that doesn't sound like Zim at all." Danny said baffled.

"Which means it must be true! Oh, Danny, I'm so happy. All of that watching over him has paid off, he's finally cured." She hugged Danny even tighter, and Danny's suspicions melted away. Jenny was finally free, who could argue with that?

xXx

Sorry about this chapter being rushed, it's been a while so I guess I got rusty. Hope to make the next one better, thanks for the reviews!

-Darkness


	6. Left in the Dark

**Tetsukon**: Sorry, my secret. Sometimes I'm so cruel.  
**ironmantis**: Curse my cruelty! (mentioned above)  
**FantomoDrako**: I know! And one of them I believe was Nubs of Doom, I wanted to see Minimoose so badly. Anyway, thanks! I wasn't so sure if I could achieve sadness.  
**Kraven the Hunter**: Woot! (quite subtle, aren't I) Someone gets the reference! Yep, I'm feeling sorry for them and I'm the one writing it.

Ch. 6: Left in the Dark

"That client you were expecting is here." A female voice from nowhere alerted Mr. Big.

"Geh, thank you, Karen. I'll be there in a minute." Big was a little busy. Currently he was spinning around in his chair discussing more business over the phone. "I'm sorry, will you repeat that?…Uh huh…Let me get this straight." He slapped his large hand over his thick forehead, not believing what he's hearing. "You want me to destroy a certain Moose and Squirrel?…Is that code name or something?…It's not…huh,….no ordinary animals eh?…Ugh, this…I'm sorry, just sounds too ridiculous, are you making fun of me?…You're not…" He sighed, the voice on the other line sounding very upset and yelling obscenities for not being taken seriously. "Ok, I'll, I'll think about it, for now you just handle Moose and Squirrel on your own, k?…Ok." He slammed the phone down, rubbed his temples and meditated on whether he should answer whatever other crazy Joe was on hold. It was the sacrifice of having a business, he guessed, one will have to deal with knuckleheads every once in a while. He snatched up the phone again and answered the other caller. "Yes?…I'm listening….wait, what?…You have got to be kidding me….NO, I am not interested in purchasing a sheep powered ray gun, nor am I interested to help you complete it." He slammed the phone again, this time with much more force and ire.

"Right this way, Sir." A burly guard said, leading another man puny in comparison. The skinnier man was clad in dark attire, no different from most people around here, but all business. His shirt was cleanly pressed, his pants still stiff as if they were brand new. His hard black shoes didn't quite clang the floor as much as the guards, but they made a light tapping noise that echoed down the labyrinth of hallways. He was a welcomed guest, treated with great respect from the guards, and he would admit it if asked if he liked it. This was a man who craved power, and quite often stepped on those who would stand in his way to get it. He loved respect, he loved being above people…but some problem was eating away at him. Currently he felt very troubled, spent a great deal of time searching for the answer, and was very eager to settle this business and be done with it.

He followed the guard very closely, wearing a smile to show trustworthiness among these people. He was brought into a fairly small room, at least compared to maybe the lab, it is probably designed for only a few people. Itself it was completely dark, not a single light built inside its ceiling or walls. And besides for a few chairs it was also bare, but it did have a large rectangular screen that completely covered one of the walls. It was the only source of light, for the screen was a window into a room that shone a bright white.

"Please, have a seat, Mr., uh, Champion." Mr. Big's voice crackled. The man did not give his real name, of course, in case he changed his mind. Most clients did go by other identities, many very uncreative. But those who did change their minds have their minds erased for a precaution.

Mr. "Champion" quietly complied and took a seat in front of the window. He felt like he was sitting in a balcony of a theater, for one could see that the room behind the glass had a floor at least two stories below him. The guard closed the door behind them and stood there patiently, while the seemingly omnipresent Mr. Big continued.

"So I hear you're interested in enlisting our help?" Mr. Big asked amiably.

"Why, yes, I am, but I'm also quite curious if you have the perfect hitmen." Champion answered with equal comradery. The intercom made a chuckle.

"Ohhhh, I think you'll be very impressed. I suppose you came for a demonstration then?"

"That would be entertaining, yes. But I find it a bit strange to talk to the air, where might you be?" he asked. Mr. Big chuckled again.

"I have a lot of work to do in my office and prefer not to waste time walking around my little maze, but if it makes you feel more comfortable." A compartment in a side wall slid open and out rolled a pedestal with a nice little screen sitting on top, with a clear picture of Mr. Big's silhouette. "This better?"

"Much. So what compelled you to embark on this little venture?" Champion questioned, now facing to the screen. Now it was Champion who laughed. "There are not a lot of people who work in this field."

"Well after I got out of college, I found out that there wasn't much else I was good at, so I put my craftiness to good use." He uttered ironically. Champion smiled for real this time, partially respecting this power hungry madman, but also envying him, hating him. Champion could tell by this moment that he wouldn't get much information out of Mr. Big, he was going to stay miserly secretive. Well, so would he if in the same position. "Shall we begin?"

"By all means." Champion watched what could only be Big's hand stretch forward on his desk and grasp a remote with a single red button on its face and a mini satellite on the top. He pressed this button and spoke into the tiny dish.

"Team 1, step forward." Champion leaned over to peer down at the white door sliding upward and allowing Team 1 entrance. Three deathly solemn figures stepped slowly out to the middle of the white floor, all eyes glazed and emotionless. "I split them into two teams, this is the Technology Group." Champion's brows furrowed.

"They look like--"

"Don't let their appearances deceive you. I assure you they are very capable. Shepherd," the guard stood at attention. "If you will." Shepherd gave a nod and strolled over to a console that flipped out from the wall beside the door. He punched a few buttons and Champion found three robotic soldiers appearing among Team 1 below him. The robots were mostly plain: no face, no distinct humanlike features, just a head and torso with arms and legs. They were gray, they had the ability to move and fight back, but not quite advanced in the line of science. "A1, you first." Big instructed, and the boy with the bowtie obeyed.

Conan's unblinking eyes zeroed in on the unlucky robot nearest to him. His expression had neither a smile nor a frown; he was a zombie boy staring somberly into space. Conan twisted a knob on one of his tennis shoes, they started to radiate some sort of intense energy, and then ran at an amazing speed straight for one of the soldiers. The robot tried to dodge but was no match for the inhuman agility. Conan leaped into the air and gave a roundhouse kick into his opponent's leg, and it shattered into a million metal pieces. Even though his soulless opponent was already down and out, he continued to hammer him unfeelingly, kicking its frame until it was nothing but a dented and broken metal mess. Other limbs were knocked so hard they simply broke off, the torso had a dent the size of Kansas, and the head was as flattened as a pancake. All the while Big listed the boy's assets. "He's the perfect spy and assassin. That bowtie of his can disguise his voice, his watch doubles as a tranquilizer, and as you can see his shoes can pack quite a wallop. Uh, that's enough, Conan." His order quickly registered to the barbaric little boy, so he stood by his victim with his arms hanging lifelessly at his sides obediently, the shoe's luminosity gradually wavering until it was off.

"This is very thrilling, but why can't you simply copy his technology and use it yourself without endangering the lad's life?"

"We would, but his stature allows him to appear innocent and gain entry to many places without looking suspicious. No one ever suspects a child." He explained jovially. He studied his client's expressions, noted the sickened one when he saw children march into their battlefield, the surprised one when he saw Conan pound the robot to a pulp, and now an angry one. _How cute,_ he thought, _he shows concern for the children._ "Plus, we don't really approve of putting our own soldiers in danger if we don't have to." Champion made a very long pause, his eyes narrowing at Big and then the mini-military.

"Understandable." Champion finally chose for an answer.

"We had a fourth soldier placed in the technology group, and I will admit that I regret having him terminated those months ago." Big got the reaction he wanted, it was fun to mess with this so-called humanitarian. It was faint, but he could distinctly hear a soft growl under Champion's breath. _What is his problem?_ he wondered. _If he's here to make a deal with me, than why should he care if I risk the lives of insignificant brats?_ "Thankfully though, we had saved his technology and are deciphering it as we speak."

"What will you use it for?" Champion was paying very close attention, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"We are positively amazed by how advanced his machines are, heh, they're practically alien. We are quite curious how potent these might be, and if we can get our hands on an easy to handle copy, we predict we just might be able to stop our constant scouring for new recruits. We would be able to create much more efficient robots than those you see before you." Mr. Big let his client hang on to his every word, he liked striking people's interests.

"Sound's like a big job." Champion commented, eyes and ears full of curiosity. Big was pleased by Champion's enthusiasm, also amused knowing that he would drop the subject there, leaving him with so many questions that would never be answered to underlings.

"A3, your turn." Mr. Big bellowed, and the shorty scientist activated his backpack to grow numerous mechanical extensions. From laser guns to flying razor sharp saws, Dexter pelted yet another robot to the point where it was nothing but smoke. "Not that it's ever any use in battle, but the kid's smart. He's always coming up with new inventions in a basement we let him build under his house. He doesn't even know that we know, or that we've monitored his every move. A lot his own designs were applied to our base, and his weapons are 'killer'."

Champion watched apathetically with no input, resting his chin in his hands.

"B2, display all of your weaponry." The robot girl responded, and even Champion was taken aback by how much cold hard steal extended from her form. His eyes almost popped from his head at the sight; she had knives for fingers, cannons for legs, flamethrowers for ponytails, practically every inch of her was designed to slice, maim, shoot, and her stare was as cold as her machete for an arm. Her array of munitions was enough to cover the entire two stories and have a missile meet Champion at eye level; she was literally a killing machine. Mr. Big was pleased with his reaction. "Yeah, XJ9's one of my favorites too. All right Missy, let 'im have it." Usually, destroying an innocent robot like her would be a downright appalling act and something she would never do in a million years, but she was currently as soulless as them. Her robot brethren were ash in less then two seconds, a burnt brown smudge on the perfectly white floor. "That will be all, Team 1." Mr. Big bid them farewell, and they marched back out the door just as solemnly as they entered.

"Team 2, step forward." Mr. Big ordered into his remote, and the remaining five young soldiers strolled out and replaced Team 1's positions. They were just as soulless as the last team, besides the fierce frowns and piercing eyes. Unlike the last group, this one appeared itching for a battle, eager to be put to work. Shepherd pressed a few more buttons, giving Team 2 some fresh robots to pummel. "I call this the Unnatural Group. Quite a spectacle to watch these fight, you won't believe your eyes." Though unseen, a smile curled on Mr. Big's lips, like he was taking great pride in showing off his living trophies.

Champion gave them all a look over, again feeling sick to his stomach to see that they were all children. One in particular caught his eye, a boy with white hair and blazing green eyes. His hair drooped heavily over his face, covering these eyes, but they were bright enough to shine through brilliantly. Champion folded his arms and glared at the youngsters, losing respect for the madman projected next to him.

"A2, attack." A very large teenager stepped toward a robot, his white eyes pupil less and muscles tense. His upper body was very well built, possibly more so than most of the guards, and shreds of white electricity circled and twisted wildly around his entire body without causing any form of pain. He wore red tights, if you could imagine a former superhero doing so, with white boots and white gloves. It was hard to tell, but Champion knew for sure that the boy's face was a pale blue, and his wild black hair that seem blown back had a single white streak of lightning running through it.

Champion did not expect to see this style of fighting, exactly when did this boy get a mallet? Or an ANVIL? The man couldn't even follow his moves, for he ran so fast he could only be seen as a bright white blur. He acquired objects that came from no where, jumped on the robots like a frog, tripped them, and even suddenly switched to the getup of an executioner and lopped off their heads! His style was simply INSANE.

"Oh, well look at that, he seemed to have gotten carried away again, he often does." Big quipped. "You may leave, A2." And A2 zipped out the door without a word. Not a single robot was left with the smoke and sparks cleared, but Champion made a sigh of relief when he saw the last four children still standing. They hadn't moved a single inch. "What a mess he's made. A4, B4, clean this up." Unexpectedly to Champion, the three small girls floated in the air, then darted toward every robot and plucked them off the ground with ease. They then piled them to a single spot in the middle of the white floor. They left colored streaks of their auras behind them as they flew, then floated near the boy Champion had first paid mind to.

The boy crouched down and placed a hand firmly on the tiled floor, then focused. "They've memorized where the garbage hatch is, and they apparently know that the trap door is currently out of order too. Watch this." Big instructed. The beaten robot pile then fell through the floor as if it was water; the boy had made the floor intangible. Mr. Big then glanced expectantly at Champion's face…but didn't markedly like how unimpressed his expression was. "He's a ghost." He chose to inform him with another smile.

"Really? That's quite a find."

"Yes, he is." He was glad to get his attention back. "Care to see these kids do battle with each other?"

"That is not necessary." There was that empathy for the well-being for children again, Big found it humorous.

"Oh, so you want them to fight the robots then?" He suggested in a babyfied tone. Champion suddenly lost his polite smile, he did not like being spoken down to. He will never take being treated as an inferior. Mr. Big was surprised to see him actually burst from his chair and whip around to face him accusingly.

"No, I think I've seen enough. I know what I must do."

"Very well then, what's the job, gramps?" Champion's scowl deepened, a vein almost showing itself in his neck.

"I am not old, my good man. My hair just lost its color a long time ago." Mr. Champion snarled, folding his arms. Mr. Big only snorted. "And I've decided, I will not need your help any longer."

"Oh?" It didn't matter, Big always liked a mind swipe anyway. He found it fun to watch human's eyes glaze over, some begging to keep their newfound knowledge, some fearful of what this society would do to them while they would be unconscious. Shepherd got ready with the device to blank his memory. "Why not?"

"I figured I could handle this case myself." He answered flatly.

"You know what we'd have to do then."

"Exactly." Champion grinned.

Mr. Big made the first mistake for giving his former client enough time in the first place, but then again, how would he have known. He's not Specs after all. Now it was he who was amazed, his eyes widening for what surprise Champion had kept for him. Champion's eyes shone bright red, his grin revealing gleaming vampiric fangs.

"G-get him you dumbass!" he ordered Shepherd, and Shepherd pounced on the now unnerving man. However, he passed right through him and fell hard onto the floor.

Black rings then expanded around the man's waist, shooting upward and downward and transforming this trickster into a horrifying spirit. His black hair resembled devil horns, his skin now as blue as the Freakazoid. His dark suit turned into one colored with white and red with a cape to match. The fingers in his black gloves curled into a fist, and he punched Shepherd in the back of the head. The overgrown guard made a single groan, then fell unconscious.

"So, you're a ghost too." Big stated it, didn't ask. He resumed his cool and amused demeanor, and brought his remote back up to his face. "Then they'll make perfect challengers for you." He held down the button. "Phantom, Powerpuffs, come!"

Danny titled his heavy head and pointed his listless eyes up at the window. The girls latched themselves on to his arms and he shot upwards, phasing through the window and facing the other ghost with a battle ready stance.

"How considerate of them, they didn't break my window." Big said mockingly. As Danny and the Powerpuffs charged at the intruder, Big pressed a few buttons on his desk, alerting more guards to prepare to capture anyone who appears to flee from his fortress.

The ghost simply waved a hand and a miraculously strong red bubble shielded their attacks. "Bah, you truly believe these children are enough to defeat me?" he always liked the banter part of the skirmish, it was then he would prove his immense superiority over his opponents. Unfortunately, these puppets had no voice, they made no grunts as they hammered on his shield unwillingly.

"I think you underestimate them, Mr. 'Champion.'" Big growled. "But tell me, what is your real name?"

"I believe you underestimate me!" The ghost snickered. "I have no reason to reveal my identity to the likes of you." The man was smart, Big would agree, because he just used his own weapon against him. Big had taunted him this entire time, dangling information above this man's head as if it was a strand of string and he was a silly cat. He tantalized him with knowledge he wasn't willing to give up, and now this ghost was hiding something that he indeed was eager to know.

The ghost released his shield and shot an ectoblast at the three sisters, but much more gently than he has done before. The girls didn't even scream as they were blown back through the window, falling back down to the floor of the white room.

"Ugh, now why did you go and do that when they actually made an effort to keep it intact." Big growled, a little annoyed.

"Damn you." the ghost swerved out of the line of fire of the young halfa and smashed the screen that dared oppose him. The screen fell over and sparkled as it lay on the ground, then flickered off. The voice however continued to speak to him, and apparently the screen.

"Don't worry, baby, we'll get you fixed. As for you, you will not escape, ghost! You may not look like an innocent child but you would be perfect for my forces! I will make you join me!"

"Champion" took a moment to sock Danny right in the jaw, then subdue him with a nice electric shock as he clenched down on the child's wrist. He floated over him with a look similar to pity, thinking, _So many times we've fought, Daniel. How is it that each time it's harder for me…emotionally? Do you not recognize me?_

Even without a screen to aid him, the bossman was still somehow able to observe this spirit's actions. "Tugging your nonbeating heart's strings, Mr. Champion? To be forced to clash with your own kind?"

"No." Champion answered aloud, but completed his thought silently. _To be forced to clash with someone I know, but it's no different then any of the dozens of times before I suppose._ Knowing no one in this cramped room would be able to follow, he phased through the nearest wall and began his escape. Mr. Big notably growled, then pressed the intercom button.

"Attention! You were all alerted to guard all exits, but now I instruct all able bodies to search! Find this ghost man! Shoot him! Don't let him get away!" And all guns were drawn and raised.

The ghost had run into some of the guards while he was exploring through the elaborate hallways, and had gone invisible. But this power was useless against those with heat seeking goggles, for they could see the bluish purplish cold blur and fired mercilessly at it. He fought back with his own ectoblasts, which were more than enough to stop them dead in their tracks (but purposely made not to actually kill them). He could have easily phased through the entire building for it was not yet ghost proof, but he chose to stay. He was looking for something…

xXx

Mr. Big drummed his large fingers furiously on his desk, waiting for a report, scanning his security cameras, wondering how much it would cost to fix that window. Finally he saw a guard bound into his office, panting and distressed.

"My apologies, Sir!" he saluted, Big didn't like where this was heading. "We've searched the whole perimeter, checked all security cameras. There has been no sign of him for at least an hour."

"You let him get away!" Big growled furiously, the poor guard taking a step back. At this point he thought it reasonable to fear for his life, but thankfully someone barged in with even worse news.

"Mr. Big!" Specs shouted, even more distraught than the guard. "The P--" Big rudely interrupted him.

"Specs, I want you to abandon studying the alien technology for now. I want you to study the history of the Ghost Zone. Research and locate the whereabouts of any other half ghosts, children or otherwise!"

"I will get right on that, Sir." Specs gave a bow, something he barely ever does so seriously. He was humbling himself to hopefully keep his job and life after he reports this unpleasant discovery, he too fears for his life to be the bearer of bad news. "But you must know, Sir. Zim's PAK, it's gone!"

"WHAT?!"

"And our files, on all the kids, they're missing too!"

"They're not missing!" Big yelled, fuming. The two terrified men in the room could have sworn they saw steam shoot out of Big's ears. "We know exactly who has 'em! Get to work, get the others too! Find this ghost man at all costs!" He pounded his fists on his desk…he made holes.

xXx

"Augh!" Danny awoke with a horrible soreness in his face and a stabbing pain in his arm. As soon as his eyes focused on the blurry world around him, he brought a hand to his cheek and made the pain even worse. He groaned, and decided just to lie in his bed for a while and stare at the ceiling. It felt like today was any other day, bright sunlight shone through his window and warmed his room quite nicely, he could hear the birds chirping as always, and there was still the same medical mystery as to why he woke up so sore. But as his head began to clear this aching was much worse.

He felt it all over his body, his head and arm especially. For a long time he couldn't even get up if he wanted to, he wanted to go back to sleep until this phenomenon wore off. He wondered how bad he must have looked, for his cheek felt like it had swelled to the size of a basketball and his arm felt like it was on fire. The only sound that brought him out of his room was the tap tap tap at his door. He groaned again, his legs refusing to move at first. After much preparation, he threw off his covers and yelled, "I'm coming!"

_Woah_, he thought, _why do I sound so hoarse?_ He heard the knocking stop and hoped that his guest didn't leave. "Uh, come in! I'll be right there!" _Good_, he thought. He heard his door open and Jenny's voice call him. His voice couldn't have been that hoarse then.

"You all right, Danny?" he faintly heard her ask from the coffee table in his living room. "It's 2:00."

"It, it is?" Danny said aloud, but not loud enough for her to hear. _How do I sleep like a rock and still feel this awful?_ "Yeah, don't worry, I'm fine!"

Jenny wasn't at all convinced, she detected some scratchiness in his voice. She certainly didn't want Danny to get himself sick, but that's partly the reason why she let herself in. "Something weird happened last night, Danny." She shouted, so he may hear over his scrambling for his clothes. "We all woke up a little uncomfortably. Pretty much everyone is feeling a little bruised."

"Is that so?" Danny asked, putting his shoes on.

"Guess we all woke up on the wrong side of the bed then?"

"Must have." Of course there was no cause for suspicion, not to them. Danny finished up and joined Jenny on his couch, and was a little worried with her gaze at him. "Something wrong?"

"You look hurt! It's a good thing I came, I wanted to check on you before I took a trip to the Hospital." Jenny looked over him again and again. His face had a little lump, his arm looked scratched and red, and his hair looked singed.

"Why? Did something happen to you?" he asked uneasily.

"No no, I'm fine. But the girls have extreme headaches. They might have fevers or something."

"Are their heads warm?"

"Uh, uh, well, they're claiming they're dizzy. They'll probably need some ice packs."

"Do I really look that horrible to get one too?" Danny joked.

"Maybe you should get that welt on your face and your arm checked."

"Sound's like a good idea, are we ready to go?"

"Yeah, c'mon."

Dizzy was an understatement. What Danny saw were three little girls that acted like they had hangovers. He had to ignore his own injuries and help guide the disoriented kindergarteners all the way to Dr. Hoax.

"You girls must have been roughhousing before bed." Jeff had concluded, after giving them all ice packs and some medicine to dull the pain.

"I don't remember whaling on my sisters." Buttercup mused. "But it could have happened."

"Thank you so much, Jeff." Bubbles said cutely, cradling her head and feeling much better.

"My pleasure, Bubbles." Jeff said with a soft smile, helping the little girl off of his examining table.

"Yes, thanks. I don't know what hit us but it felt like a bus." Blossom told him.

"Just get some rest, ok girls? Can you promise me that?" Jeff pleaded.

"Yes, Sir." All three said politely, and took their seats to wait for Jenny to escort them home.

"All right, now you mister." Jeff gestured to the table and Danny quickly hopped up. "Now what do we have here? Where did you get these?" He pretended to ask, ignoring that the boy smelt burnt.

"I have no idea, but they're killing me, doc."

"I'll have you fixed up, but are you sure you have absolutely no idea?" He asked as he got some bandages, ice packs, and disinfectant.

"None whatsoever." Jeff took a moment to breathe easy.

"Well, maybe you had a bad dream and accidentally smacked yourself in the mouth." The good doctor suggested as he gave Danny an ice pack for his face.

"…Maybe." Danny tried not to stutter.

"And this arm?" Jeff applied some disinfectant to the scratches on Danny's wrist, noted that Danny didn't make a wince, then readied the bandage. "You must of slept on it wrong."

"…Yeah." Danny was still tired, he just wanted to sleep this day away and find these blemishes gone in the morning.

"You said all the other kids are feeling weird too, Miss Wakemen? I'll have a talk with the people in charge of food around here." Jeff pledged. "You'll be fine, kid. This is nothing serious at all." he assured.

"Thanks." Danny said optimistically as he jumped off the table without even being asked. For some reason he felt a dire need to get out of this place and fall back into bed.

"No problem, just come to me if you find anything else wrong. I want to change that bandage tomorrow." He pointed at his wrist, and Danny nodded.

"Sure." Danny headed for the door, the girls got up to follow.

"Bye, Jeff! Thanks a bunch!" Jenny waved energetically back at the doctor who closed his door once they were out of sight.

xXx

The stroll back to the Neighborhood was much more pleasant then the trudging to the Hospital. The sun wasn't in their eyes, they felt a thousand times better, and had a delightful conversation that they were well enough to keep up. They passed by the Dexters and Conan too, who were just as aloof as ever before, but at least they looked relaxed and undamaged. When the identical houses came into Danny's sight on the horizon, he couldn't be happier. The bed was calling him there, or at least something was.

"We'll be fine, Jenny. We appreciate the escort." Blossom said mannerly.

"You're very welcome girls, now you heard the doctor's orders." Jenny quipped.

"Yeah, we know." Buttercup said with a tint of bitterness.

"I guess I can always go down the slide tomorrow." Bubbles surmised.

As the girls walked slowly back through their doors and into their green, pink, and blue sheeted bed, Jenny made sure Danny made it back safely through his door. Though a bit persistent, Danny controlled himself and never got mad at Jenny for her prying. She would ask a thousand "are you all right"'s and "you sure?"'s , but all for good intentions Danny knew.

"See you in the morning." Danny kidded.

"Are you really going to be asleep that long?" Jenny giggled as she stood on Danny's doorstep.

"It's already 4:00, sooooo, yeah!" They laughed again, and Jenny headed back for the sidewalk to perhaps meet up with the Dexters. Danny shut his door quietly and slipped off his shoes, then lumbered his way toward his bedroom. He would have made it there in good time, if something left on his coffee table hadn't caught his eye.

_Did I leave something there this morning?_ He wondered, not entirely sure. His head was fuzzy this morning, but he was pretty sure the table was bare. He took a few steps closer to get a better look, then his eyebrows raised and he plopped on his couch to finger the object. There were three things: a slip of paper, a bizarre metal capsule, and the third item was held tightly in Danny's hands.

_Is this Zim's backpack?_ He flipped it over, held it above his head into better light, and deduced that if it wasn't the green kid's, it was an exact replica. And who would make a replica of this freaky design? He had never realized before, but this thing was solid metal. He glanced back at the table and found nothing interesting in the container; finding it open must have meant the backpack was delivered in it. _Exactly who came in here and left this for me?_ He spotted the slip of paper and put the PAK aside to snatch it.

He skimmed it, his eyebrows raised higher, read it again a bit more slowly, then his hands caught a bad case of the jitters. He dropped the note, stared into space, then picked it up and read it again just to make sure his mind wasn't playing tricks on him. He started to shiver, his gut wrenching, his heart beating so fast he thought it would explode. He was no longer tired.

He stumbled clumsily out of his couch and rushed toward the door, then making a mad dash down the sidewalk and shortly caught up with Jenny. "Jenny! Jenny, stop!"

"What is it?" Jenny asked, her expression presently matching Danny's fearful eyes. Danny clamped on her wrist and half dragged, half leading her back through his door. "What is wrong? What happened?!"

"Shh!" Danny closed his door, and pointed her in the direction of Zim's PAK lying on his table. "I-I-I don't know!" Jenny saw how shaky he was and instantly became very scared herself. "I don't know what is going on, but you need to read this!" Danny forced the scratched note into her hands, and judging by the look on his face Jenny was almost too afraid to read it.

"Is that…is that Zim's back pack over there?"

"Read this!" Danny repeated, pointing at the little slip of paper, about to look out his window then quickly telling himself that was a bad idea.

Jenny's hands quaked as she brought the note to her eyes and read every word slowly.

_Daniel,_

_You will see that I have given you something you might recognize as a keepsake from someone you used to know. You must pay very close attention; don't tell anyone about what I am about to tell you or show them this item, or you risk blowing your and my cover and could be joining your old friend. This "child" you know as Zim is dead._

_I know who you are, I know your big secret, but I also know that you don't remember me. If you don't believe I'm serious, than I'll use one word to describe you: halfa. Your existence is currently a lie, do not believe anything the adults here tell you. They are controlling you, as well as all the other children. I know that they have secrets too, they all do, and that is why they're all here. You and all the other adolescences you know in your neighborhood are being used as weapons. You are tools for murder._

_Zim was not as easy to brainwash as they thought, and he paid for it with his life. They couldn't risk him learning everything and telling the others, so they had him silenced. You need to know that you have a life outside this prison, and you were abducted, not invited to join them. Your mind has been wiped, and I will return to you your memory. I will come by tomorrow night and tell you everything you need to know, until then keep this secret, and stay safe._

_-Your old friend_

"Wha-what is this?" Jenny asked, her voice squeaked with nervousness.

"I don't know, I don't know!" Danny had gone back to the couch to dig his fingers into his hair and try to calm himself down.

"He knows our secrets?" her voice was rising.

"Do we have secrets?" Danny asked cautiously.

"I-I-I…"

"…Ok…if someone already knows, then there's no reason to hide it anymore." Danny muttered in a defeated tone.

"So…you do?!"

"Yes…do you?" Jenny paused, not quite as willing as he to give up her true nature, but if this note was for real…

"I…yes…I do, and it's big." She let her shoulders sag and her head droop, also feeling a bit defeated inside.

"So is mine. Then this guy is telling the truth." Danny got up and stared at the objects on his table. "Zim really is dead."

"Oh my G--"

"We have to do something!" Danny didn't look scared anymore...he looked angry. His eyes glowed with blind fury, Jenny could see: his eyes were green.

"The note says not to do anything, you weren't even supposed to tell me!"

"I had to tell someone! This is nuts!"

"Maybe it's just a prank, one of the others could have--"

"I don't believe they would go through such lengths to scare the crap out of me." Danny started to pace, his steps loud and forceful. "We, we need to keep our voices down, and think this through."

"I can't believe this, this isn't happening." Jenny held her head in her hands, unable to cry but feeling a need to.

"We need to tell the others." Danny said, turning to face her.

"They won't believe us!" Jenny cried.

"They hafta know, did you not read that word?" Danny's eyes were brilliant with what could very well be tears mixed in with his eerie glow. "Murder. They're using us."

"Impossible, Dr. Hoax said--"

"Dr. Hoax was lying to our faces! It makes sense now, doesn't it? Why sometimes we wake up so sore?" Danny rubbed his eyes, his lids becoming red and puffy. "We've been sent to kill people."

"No, no, I can't." Jenny didn't want to believe this, she fell to her knees. "I feel used, I feel tainted, just the though of having humans' blood on my hands." She had been happy here! She sincerely thought this place was perfect and she had escaped the horrors of the real world. How can this happen? How can she be fooled into walking right into the truly eviliest part of the planet and think it was a paradise?

"Get the others, they need to know…" Jenny silently nodded knowing at least that was true, despite what the note said.

xXx

"Ok, you two. What's this all about?" Buttercup asked suspiciously.

"Yeah, uh, what's up?" The stern looks on their faces were making Dex uneasy.

Everyone had been gathered into Danny's room, done so quickly and as innocently as possible. Danny and Jenny suspected there were cameras outside of the houses, possibly everywhere, but hopefully not in the houses (or they're all dead meant).

"We needed to show you something." Jenny said solemnly, holding out Zim's PAK.

"Hey, that's the green freak's!" Buttercup exclaimed.

"Is he back or something?" Dexter asked.

"No…he's not ever coming back." Danny mumbled.

"What do you mean?" asked Bubbles. Danny and Jenny didn't know what else to say, they still couldn't grasp their own thoughts let alone their words. They had discovered from a mystery note that their lives are a lie and their secrets are no secret, how are they supposed to handle this?

"Just…just read this." Danny handed the note to Dex, since he is the oldest. Still, it might not have been a good idea, for Dex had always been the squeamish one.

Dex accepted the note, read it, read it again, let his whole body tremble and his eyes become the size of saucers, read it again, then fainted.

xXx

"We're gonna die!" Bubbles sobbed, Blossom trying her hardest to console her.

"Shh, Bubbles, we don't want anyone to find us like this." She told her. Bubbles lowered her voice, but continued to cry.

"Let me at 'em! No one uses me to do their dirty work!" Buttercup growled.

Dex had woken up eventually, of course only to panic. He was cowering in his chair, not in the mood to speak other than muttering, "This isn't real this isn't real, I'm in a nightmare, please let me be in only a nightmare."

"Listen everyone, we HAVE to stay calm." Jenny instructed, regretting putting everyone on the edge.

"She's right." Conan added. "If we loose our cool they're only going to brainwash us again…or worse." In retrospect, he probably shouldn't have said "or worse", it only made things...well, worse.

"There has to be a way to break free from them, to release their control on us!" Dexter shouted.

"It says here that this guy is going to confront me tomorrow." Danny mentioned. "I'll ask him a few things then."

"Until then, we need to keep this to ourselves. Continue our daily business like this never happened." Conan coached. "In fact, after we leave here, we shouldn't even talk about it. Who knows where there are cameras and where there aren't, we need to be extra careful to not let them know we know."

"So, what, we're just going to let them keep sending us off to kill innocent people?" Buttercup growled, grabbing Conan by the collar.

"Unfortunately, yes." He stated coldly. "I don't like it anymore than you do, but we can't give ourselves up now or we'll go back to being in the dark." He sighed, grabbing Buttercup's hands and pulling them gently off of him. He closed his eyes, appeared deep in thought for a second, then reach over and grabbed Zim's PAK. He stared at it, maybe uttering a silent prayer for the poor soul.

"He's right, Buttercup. We have to stay quiet." Blossom agreed, but her sister would not accept it.

"You expect me to lie back and let this happen?"

"We have no choice, girl." Dexter retorted. "I think we all agree that it's awful our skills have been used for evil, after we had gone through so much trouble to use it for good." Buttercup growled and sat down, rubbing her eyelids and thinking things over.

"Just, uh, curious." Dex stammered. "But…what are your skills?" Everyone fell silent, not exactly eager to share their story, not even now when they were out in the open. If each of them made such a big deal about their "skills" becoming old news to some crazy mastermind, then they must possess some strange powers strong enough to kill someone. They glanced uncomfortably at each other, then quickly looked away. No one spoke, just squirmed in their seats.

All heads turned to Conan when they heard the most discomforting sound. They were then terrified by Conan's wide eyes and mouth agape, and to add to their worry he gagged again.

"Conan? Are you alright?" Jenny asked, deeply concerned. Conan didn't move, didn't respond, but did turn pale. His big blue eyes gave one last plea for help before his gaze fell to the floor, struggling to keep his shaking body upright, his organs feeling like they've been ripped on the inside, and willing to believe for himself this pain will kill him. Death almost seemed like a gift if not a guarantee for this pain was worse than…the big shrink. Once she could see that Conan wasn't breathing, Jenny immediately knelt in front of him and grabbed his shoulders, almost shaking him a little. "Conan?! What's wrong? Breathe!"

Again, Conan choked on his own words, and he let go of Zim's PAK, yet it did not fall. It was as if it was connected firmly to his torso, specifically his stomach, which caused the absolute worst nausea imaginable. He was an awful sight; he looked like he was going to throw up or faint or worse. Dex and Danny, being the oldest in the audience, rushed to get a closer look at Conan as well, and trying with no avail to figure what was wrong. Meanwhile Dexter went over every possible cause for such behavior in his head, but was too startled and unable to suggest what should be done, no one could! They were basically frozen. The kids were too scared and confused to act, especially Bubbles. She began to cry again thinking that Conan was going to die right in front of them, what was happening?! Did he need the Heimlich? CPR? Should they rush him to the hospital? Did he even have that kind of time?

After many unpleasant gags and falling weakling to his knees, Conan took a deep but wavering breath. It was so deep it hurt his throat, and he had to take another one just as deep for he acquired very little air. But, just as the others began to sigh for relief, Conan gasped for air, closed his eyes, then coughed up blood.

"Oh my gosh!" Jenny quickly stood up and made a mad dash for the phone in Danny's kitchen. "I'm calling Dr. Hoax!" Conan's eyes suddenly flashed open, as if that name triggered someone to stab him right in the arm. His mind clicked and he felt a strain, then pure anger flowed forth.

As Jenny reached for the phone, Bubbles (along with a few other children, but she was the loudest) screamed, and the phone shattered right before her. Jenny slowly turned back to Conan, dumfounded, to find him standing up and huffing raggedly.

_What the_--! Danny thought, not believing what he had just seen.

_Why would he?_ —Dex was also at a loss for explanation, and was too frightened to speak aloud. Usually quiet and innocent Conan had just grabbed the nearest object he could, a lamp, and threw it straight across the room to smash the phone to pieces. Everyone started to tremble slightly as Conan made a blood-curdling scream and turned around, gritting his teeth and clenching his hair as more blood dripped from his mouth.

"I was murdered!" Conan then cried, seemingly with an echo of a voice eerily familiar. The outburst sounded right in the middle of a rage filled roar and a sob, heavy with despair. He quivered as if that harsh reality had truly seized, and then throttled him. No one knew what they could do, because Conan resembled a mad man as he buried his head in his hands, fighting some sort of possession. But it wasn't a demon, no, but close to one. He let go of his aching cranium, then spun swiftly around to meet the eyes of his friends, his own bright red. Glowing red.

"I was murdered!" He cried again, his voices cracking. It was then that the others realized, as they backed away in horror, that the voice that accompanied Conan's was that of Zim.


	7. Friend or Foe

**Horselvr4evr123**: Conan's my third favorite cartoon, I made a plushie of him! Huzzah, I can achieve surprise too, go me. Thanks for reading :)  
**Phillip Clark**: We'll see soon, won't we?  
**Kraven the Hunter**: Trapper?…uh -shrugs- I dunno. Although a rampage sounds very Zimmish, you might be surprised at his reaction to his death. I think Vlad has more innocence than people give him credit for. He just wants to be loved, everyone has a good side, right?…Right?

I was kinda hoping I'd get more feedback for this story, but I guess not all my fics can surprise me as much as Furry Phantom. At least it's been fun, Darkness likes crossovers!

Ch. 8: Friend or Foe

The sound of rushing water reached the ever so sensitive ears of this weary hiker, a male, wearing clothes strikingly close to that of a daring explorer. The forest he treads so lightly on has the potential to make for someone a dangerous journey, but not a threat any stronger or more unnatural than a big bear or falling into a river. He carried a backpack that appeared twice his size, yet carried it and still was able to hike on with ease. Compared to humans, he was very short, but it is to be expected for his kind. But still, he's one of the most famous of this kind as well, yet he walks alone, why so?

The stranger had red hair, mostly, and distant, knowing and observant black eyes. For now, they were also tired eyes, for he had not slept for many nights. Never the one to take on a mission with anything less than full devotion and compassion for all things, he was basically traveling the hard way. But he took pride in his accomplishments, and this was no different. He was also eager to find this water, his canteen currently empty. So he bounded for the splish and splash he heard, and his eyes brightened when the sound became more distinct. He had found the river, and he splashed his face to wake himself up, along with filling his canteen for the rest of his trek through this seemingly endless forest. But, he could not bring himself to continue right away, for a very strange sight caught his eye.

_What a strange home._ He thought, gazing at a palace he saw floating at the end of the river on a fairly dormant lake. One can say he was certainly intrigued, for he made his way toward this structure. It was constructed of mostly wood, some logs unevenly placed here and there but mostly astonishing architecture for such a primitive place. The roofs looked like they were simple, flat piles of straw, longer strands drooping over and giving off a homely air. The stranger saw a wooden bridge leading to this house, and didn't hesitate to cross it. _A sturdy piece of furniture would make a nicer place to rest than a stump._ He thought. _Plus it would be a good idea to ask for some directions, now that my map has been torn by some pesky stray branches._

He knocked on the door (wooden, like everything else), and patiently waited for an answer. He found himself waiting for a while, but being the polite guy that he is, he never pestered the homeowners with more knocking. His manners paid off, for eventually the knob did turn, and a furry creature about his size met him eye to eye.

"W-hellllllllllll…" began the crazy haired animal, adding a few more syllables to the word "Well", and soon to come for other words. "What ca-han I do you for, neighbor?"

"Who's at the door, brother?" Hissed a slick and possibly even prickly creature, but of same species as the fluffy one, who hid, narrowing his suspicious yellow eyes, behind the door. "Is it another spoothead, no good, spooty badger?"

"No, no, I think it's one of them mongoose things."

"Oooooooo, exotic."

"Ahem, I don't mean to trouble you, sirs." Began the stranger in his deep and stern voice. "But I have been on a long journey through your woods, and I am, well I'd say beat. Might I rest here for a short while?"

"Short? Oh c'mon, stay as long as you want!" exclaimed the tan one, quite welcomingly. He literally pulled the red haired one inside, with a very abrupt yank that could have pulled his arm out of socket if he wasn't careful. "We could use another buddy around here to watch monster movies with!"

"I thank you." The explorer said, not at all losing his composure. He caught a glimpse of the wirier creature, but it had darted into another room quite quickly. On the inside the house looked just as disheveled as the outside, but with more color and more furniture than expected. The furniture even seemed modern, complete with cushions, elaborate molding, and stylish design. The beige creature hopped into a very cushy couch and snatched a remote; the stranger then approached this couch while looking at the TV placed in front of it, simply amazed that this home could possibly have electricity. "So, you two are brothers? And you live here all by yourselves?"

"Yep." Said the animal quite proudly, raising his purple nose. "Nothing like having a bachelor dam."

"Do you get along?"

"Hmm…sometimes. But at others we're just a couple of angry beavers." He chose for an answer, not quite sure himself. "Oh yeah, my name's Norbert." He finally introduced, as his darker coffee-colored brother slithered in towards the TV, some cords in paw, to try and figure out how to hook up the VCR. "And this is Daggett."

"Yah, yah, whatever." Dag answered, not quite as thrilled to have a guest as his equally socially deprived roommate. His bright red nosed twitched as he grew more frustrated with the many wires.

"Pleased to meet you, I am--"

"A mongoose, right?" guessed Norb. "So you're from India then."

"Actually, no." the stranger proclaimed. "You see, I am--"

"Yeah, Norby!" Dag interjected, with a bit of a know-it-all like rolling of his eyes. "Everyone knows mongoose-things are from Nebraska."

"No, I am not a mongoose, really I am--"

"Ohhhh, sorry, you're a ferret then?" Norb tried again. The red-haired one decided to drop the subject, seeing now that Daggett had set up the VCR and had plopped down on the couch next to Norbert.

"Hey, Dag, can you get some popcorn too? Won't be a movie without popcorn." Norb suggested. Dag then jumped back down and grumbled as he dragged his leathery tail into the kitchen. Norb then turned back to the mysterious creature who has yet to sit himself on the couch, probably just trying to be polite. "You can sit." Norbert said as he scooted over, then the stranger sat with his own furry red tail dangling off the side. "Exactly why are you exploring out here anyway?" He asked with a mischievous tone.

"I am on my way to a friend's place so that she may accompany me for a mission I was given." The still nameless animal announced.

"Oh?" Norb was quickly entertained, the kind of animal that enjoyed tales of daring rescues and/or escapes and certainly wouldn't pass up a chance to hear one. His brother peeked back into the living room to hear for himself, eyebrows raised at the word "mission".

"What kind of mission?" Dag asked as he tottered into the room with a big bowl of popcorn.

"And what kind of friend?" Norb finished.

"The note I was given is unclear, and it is classified business." Their guest answered dryly. Dag's eyebrows suddenly rose higher and now he too was interested. Perhaps he could find this classified note in the explorer's large backpack? "Aaaaaand she's just an old friend of mine," The ferret/mongoose thing added slyly. "Nothing special there."

"Why aren't you flying there?" Norb questioned. "That's gotta be faster."

"True, but I have a concern for wildlife and pollution, and I choose to walk there instead."

"That's just stupid." Dag spat, not the one to consider feelings too often.

"All right, all right." Norb quit his pestering and turned to the front. "Let the marathon begin!" Sadly, after he pressed the button on his remote dramatically, his performance was rewarded with nothing but static on the screen. One can say the beaver was a bit irritated. "Daaaag?"

"Oh, no. I hooked up the thingy, I got the popcorn, how about you get off your lazy tail?" Dag retorted angily, which Norb did not take kindly. He started growling back, both glaring daggers at each other. They would have broken into a full out brawl had their guest not intervened.

The gentleman wished to avoid conflict of any sort with his hosts, so he gladly offered, "Not to worry, I believe I can fix this." The beavers did not expect to see him bounce off the couch and dive right in to the tangled mess of wires Daggett left. His paws moved swiftly and efficiently, taking less than 30 seconds to replace the hissing static with one of the boys' favorite monsters, the Crawling Spleen.

"Woah!" Dagget was taken aback. "How'd you do that so fast?"

"Looks like he's a techno-ferret." Norb commented, eyes then quickly becoming glued to the TV. "Thi-his is one of Dag's favorites."

"Eeeeeeeeh." Dag wowed, also staring at actors that fled from the dreaded crawling spleen. But all the sudden he shook himself back to reality and inquired to the ferret/mongoose thing, "This mission." He spoke softly and furtively. "Do you think you require the help of?--" He flipped off the couch and rushed into a nearby closet, then sprung heroically out, fully clothed in random items, including a green sheet tied around his neck and an orange sock on his head. He placed his clenched paws on his hips, somehow appearing more buff, then finished his previous sentence with a shout for all the world to hear, "MUSCULAR BEAVER?" Norb then smiled, covered his eyes, and shook his head shamefully at the sight of his brother in such a ridiculous getup. The guest made a polite smile as well and shook his head sorrowfully.

"No thank you, Sir, I think we might have enough heroes on this mission." Was his reply, to which Dag made a defeated groan.

xXx

"Well, what do you expect _me_ to do?" asked a monotone female voice. "I'm no psychic." Specs rubbed his temples and mustered all the patience in his being to tolerate this annoying machine. "Aren't_ you_ supposed to be the master researcher?"

Specs had to fight the urge to grab the keyboard of his new computer and crack it in half over his leg. In truth, he despised these new models Mr. Big just bought with the white-hot intensity of a thousand suns. In hopes to find this new threat (another half ghost) and to find other recruits more easily, Mr. Big purchased a breed of computer that came dangerously close to having a personality of their own. "Dangerously" is put in use because most of these personalities involve stuck up, sarcastic, and rude thoughts. They constantly complained about how dim their human users are and keep insisting that if they were in charge things would get done much faster. However, they're not in charge, in fact all they can do is interact with humans by voice and uploaded pages. The only thing that keeps them under control is the constant threat of being unplugged forever due to their unnecessary and mocking commentary. The computers were indeed smart, but the scientists and guards alike downright hated them (for once they had a common enemy), while Mr. Big strangely praised and enjoyed talking to them. They're here to stay, and Specs couldn't be any grumpier about it.

"I'm sorry," he lied, raising his eyes to his monitor. "But I had to start with some sort of question, might as well be that one."

"Thanks for being specific, master." The voice sneered. "'Search for any half ghosts residing in the ghost zone'?" she repeated his previous command. "Try again, you twit."

"Fine…hm…give me a list of ghost sightings in Amity Park." Specs demanded, very bitterly.

"Searching." She announced, a little black bar loading on her blue-green tinted screen. Specs waited patiently, but the files found were far from satisfying.

"Remove all sightings from before three years ago."

"Can do." Again, the bar appeared, and Specs let out a sigh of relief. Finally this awful machine was working with him. The scientist began to skim over some information, but not coming across anything aiding his search.

"Assemble a gallery, I only want pictures and/or descriptions of the ghosts."

"You're working too hard." The computer stated rather abruptly.

"Just get me the files I want." Specs muttered, anger rising once again.

"Seriously, do you ever take a break?"

"You're not making my job as easy as it should be." He realized that this was going to be another argument that was going to last a while, so he leaned back into his chair and folded his arms as he glared at his fellow coworker.

"Well if your occupation is so easy, do something else every now and then, goof off like every other human with a desk job, you twit." The screen suddenly moved on its own, accessing to an Internet window. "I know what you need."

"I'm not in the mood for a fight." The man rested his head in a palm, not believing how immature this contraption is. "I just want to get this research done, Mr. Big made it quite clear he wants me to find this man." There was that fear for his life again. He recalled Mr. Big made it quite clear that he was unhappy that "Mr. Champion" escaped in the first place. Specs would blame the guards, but he is aware that Big expects him to know about all supernatural beings that pose a threat. Even though his face was unseen, as always, Specs could clearly picture the fury on his face from that day.

"The feeling is mutual. C'mon, I'll make sure you won't get in trouble." The computer said childishly. Specs opened his eyes, only to squint at a video that was pulled up. He then rolled his eyes and tried to rip his hair out.

_"Dear, Strongbad--"_

"Karen!" Specs shouted to the ceiling. "Could you please negotiate with this thing?!"

xXx

A steady sibilance seeped through Conan's gnashed, blood stained teeth, red eyes scanning over all the awestruck faces that gaped at him with horror. He liked it, it was the only thing he _did_ like about this whole mess. The surprise, the fear, the power, but what does it matter now?! His anger boiled at an especially high temperature when his eyes fell on Jenny, the traitor, his traitor. He wanted to rip her apart, he wanted her dead, he could have made it over the wall if it wasn't for her! However he refrained from pouncing on her, and instead thought through his situation. Jenny wasn't the enemy he truly wanted to kill, it was Hoax, and that scrawny man with the spectacles! And their leader! They all shall pay with their lives for claiming his own, he will not let them get away!

Zim coughed once more, cursing Conan's human lungs. Such inferior organs he had, did he even have enough time to exact his revenge he so passionately desired? He stared at the ground as he wobbled, the makings of a plan in his scrambled head.

"Z-Zim?" Jenny squeaked, afraid of an affirmative answer. Zim had no patience for the girl as of now, so he snapped at her like a crocodile.

"Of course it's me you wretch!" He snarled, making her withdraw. "You did this to me!" he added, his voices cracking and on the verge of a sob. "You handed me over to them, you let this happen to Ziiiim!"

"No, no!" Jenny fell to her knees, shielding her eyes from the possessed Conan and Zim's inconsolable spirit. Had she the ability, she too would break down into tears. "I didn't want this to happen." She cried, now fully realizing how greatly this was her fault. The others looked on with confusion and immense pity, for both sides. Never in their days spent with the usually intolerable green kid had they wished he were dead. "I'm sorry, Zim…I'm so so sorry." Zim gritted Conan's teeth and huffed, not near ready to yield his wrath. "Please, Zim. Please forgive me!"

"It is not the time for the charities!" He declared as he raised his fist, but only to be dramatic. Jenny would dare not look him in the eye; she wouldn't even lift her head. "If you truly wish for my pardon, you, all of you will allow me to carry out the mission at hand!" He stared at his own hand at this moment, then recoiled at the sight of five fingers instead of his familiar three.

"Zim, how are you here?" Danny bravely asked, Zim's malice shifting in an instant toward him.

"As I'm sure you already know," Zim growled, finally achieving balance in his new human body. "I am not human…and neither are you." Judging by everyone's expression, Zim knew he was right; he was relieved to not have to explain that part to such dumb creatures. "You all have found out what your purpose was here? That your abilities have been cultivated for the murder of others?"

"Y-yes." Danny nodded, the dread coming back and replacing the tremor. "We have been told."

"Are your captors aware that you have gained this knowledge?" Zim was now all business, glowing eyes unblinking.

"We don't think so, we just found out today." Danny shook his head.

"Good," Zim replied. "Then they won't expect us."

"You intend to crash into their place?" Buttercup spat. "You won't get very far."

"Not alone. You all have amazing, deadly powers I'm sure, put them into use you cowards!" he then shouted at Buttercup, pretty much redirecting his anger to anyone who was speaking at the time. "You alone are the ones who can break your chains! Smite someone who deserves it for once!"

"I received a note." Danny explained, furrowing his brows. "I was told to stay quiet, and wait for the help of an old friend."

"What are you anyway, freak?" Buttercup interrupted, reliving her hotheadedness she had days before Zim was taken away from them. She will not forget the way he scolded her, the way he fumed and bumbled in his threats. She would never confess it, but in a way she missed the challenge; she missed messing with his green head.

"Shush!" Blossom warned, prepared all too well for the outburst that Zim shall shower on them.

"If you must know," Zim surprised all of them…he was strikingly…calm. He closed his eyes and held his head in his one of Conan's palms, an unfamiliar sadness crawling over him, uncommon in his species. "I am Irken." He proclaimed. "An alien species, highly ornamented, and I was sent here to discover your disgusting planet's weaknesses." He heard gasps, but had expected and ignored them. "I had cleverly disguised myself as an Earth dirt-child, so that I may appear normal as I studied. I was to one day be responsible for the annihilation of your race and wear an even higher title among the Invaders." He opened his eyes to find the others glaring at him, trembling, and/or backing away. "My soul is in this PAK here." He went on, resting a hand on the backpack still attached to his torso. "And when it was removed from my body…I withered away." Jenny's plead for forgiveness still did not fade, even after she had heard Zim's true purpose. If anything her guilt grew worse, a clearer picture projecting into her mind of Zim's horrid demise. She wanted to comfort him, somehow, but knew there was no way. She lifted her head to stare mournfully at the poor alien, who for a moment did not acknowledge he was not alone for many seconds. His anger seemed misplaced, where had the wrath gone?

"Why would you tell us this?" Dexter asked, the redhead finally able to speak. "Now you can't expect to complete your mission if so many people know and--"

"It no longer matters!" Zim roared. "I do not have time to complete it anymore, and I only hope that my Tallests will forgive me for my failure!" It was the first time in his entire life…that he actually believed he failed. He never failed, even when his own base was crumbling around him, he NEVER failed. At least he was still alive then, he could continue, keep trying and eventually get it right. "This body is temporary…it won't last very long, not with me controlling the brain."

Wait, what? It won't last? Does this mean Conan will die as well?! These thoughts raced through every head in the room, and all shuddered, as Zim stood deadpan. He had no concern for any other life than his own, which he could not fathom was basically over. He dwelled on this for the longest time, fury slowly returning to him. He reminded himself of his new purpose, something he needed to get done quickly! He had to destroy the men who captured him, who stole his life, his mission, and did who-knows-what to his base or Gir!…Gir…he remembered that little robot, and he reminded himself he would never see his old henchman again. His mind would have drifted back to sadness had he not thought up scenarios of what happened to the poor, hardly miscreant, deranged, yet lovable sidekick of his. If they had done anything to his robot, which he was amazed to discover feelings for, he shall show no mercy. For their own sake, they better not have done anything to Gir! He bared his teeth, and the hissing resumed. Suddenly a new expression beamed, he began to smile, groping for something to cheer him up and revive his sadistic nature.

"Ah." Zim sighed happily, a chill creeping down everyone's spine at the sound of it. "I feel the boy quivering in my grasp." He snickered with insane pleasure, the others somewhat sickened with the alien's enjoyment of another's fear. For a minute they pondered what might have happened to poor Conan's thoughts, could he see? Was he dreaming at this point? Had he any idea what was going on? And will he be able to take back control of his own body at all?

Deep in Conan's subconscious, the boy felt himself floating in what could only be distinguished from his blind eyes an endless black abyss, with the malevolent Zim hovering over him. Conan could feel Zim's spider legs at his sides, even though they were not touching him! He felt his pulse, practically ringing in his ears, and he was deathly afraid. He felt no pain now, but the new pain coming was a realization of loneliness, and in the dark, or perhaps…the realization of just the opposite. Someone was with you, near you, and with a twisted grin on his face, but for the most part silent and just staring at you. The presence was just waiting for a chance to end you, and enjoying the wait. This feeling of helplessness was 10x worse than the coil that shot through his organs, especially when he could swear that he could feel blade-like claws wrapping around his neck, and dreading the thought that they would tighten and either strangle or slice him. He wanted to say something, in truth he wanted to scream, but his voice would not work for him. Conan knew for sure that the faint sound beyond the steady and loud thump of his heartbeat, he could hear maniacal laughter, and he thought for sure he was going to die this time. The boy's psyche now subdued, he was completely at the mercy of Zim.

"There, there it is!" Zim suddenly whispered.

"There is what?" Bubbles quaked, not able to see what Zim can.

"Young Shinichi is willing to accept his fate." Zim answered, his smile growing toothier.

"Sh-Shinichi?" Jenny stammered, getting up. "Is…is that his real name?"

"Yes." Zim replied, with no conflict. "I'm sure of it."

"H-h-how do-do you know?" Dex shivered, almost jumping out of his skin when Zim's head darted to his direction. Zim kept his grin, remembering how scared Dex was of him before, and basking in his trepidation as if it were the soothing rays of the sun. He had always loved to scare this one, threaten, and surprise him. It was fun, he knew he was going to miss it.

"How? I'm practically swimming through his filthy thoughts and memories. How disgusting the mind of a teenage earthbeast is." Zim declared.

"Teenage?" Blossom repeated. "But he's--"

"With so much unbelievable truths revealed to you," Zim began, standing up straight. "How is this any more remarkable?" He had a point. "Now…" his voice grew lower, somehow darker, the chill struck everyone once again. They were astonished to witness Zim's metal spider legs sprout from his PAK and raise him upward. Zim stood over all of them, feeling a sensation of superiority to have them look up to him, but his face lost its cheer. It was almost as if he did not want to do this thing. "To delete all that is Shinichi Kudo's brain, so that he may no longer fight me for control of the body."

_Is he serious?!_ Was the unanimous thought. _He's going to kill Conan!_

Danny began to sweat, eyes widening at such an idea. This was madness! He can't just stand there and watch Conan—er—Shinichi be erased! Victim or not, Zim has no right to claim an innocent for his own vindication. It's obvious that Mr. Big, Hoax, and all the others involved were going to have to pay for their crimes, but Conan doesn't have to! Their plan for escape can be carried out without Zim's assistance; he can be dealt with later, without endangering the life of a friend!

Danny sprung from his standing point and tackled Zim, then went through him. Zim's eyes had widened at the sudden move and he screamed one last time before he was separated from his host. Danny had grappled the PAK and phased through Conan's body, then crashed into the floor with a thud. As the unconscious Conan fell, Jenny leaped forward and was able to catch him in time, before he himself could break his back.

Danny gawked fearfully at the device in his hands, and held it as far away from him as his arms possibly could once it began to protest. He couldn't move, a furious Zim inside the machine was ready to latch himself to Danny if he had too, and Danny just couldn't move. The PAK vibrated and sent waves of electricity in Danny's hands, and instead of crazed insults Danny had to listen to fierce buzzes. He was surprised himself at what he had done, it was pure instinct! He had no idea where to go from there. Dex on the other hand glanced at the capsule still left on the coffee table, so he quickly seized the PAK and shoved it into the capsule. Danny's eyes could not leave his empty hands, he would admit it: he was scared of Zim even from inside a tiny backpack.

"Dex, that was amazing!" Jenny praised, after she gently laid Conan out on the carpet. "You were brave!" The girls and Dexter gathered around him to make sure he was ok.

Dex was also blown away, his deed was also pure instinct. "I-I did? I mean I did!" Dex stumbled, he could not believe he actually took action for once. He began to rub the back of his neck, but then he noticed Danny's dumfounded expression. His gaze had never left his hands. "Hey…hey Danny, you all right?" He slapped a hand on his shoulder and Danny shook his head vigorously.

"Huh, wha?" He looked up at Dex, and recalled his short trance he had. "Z-Zim…I could hear him." Danny told him. He then turned his head to the others. "And he was not happy." The girls and Dexter were hunched over Conan at the moment, anxiety rising since he didn't wake right away.

"C-Conan, Shinichi, whoever you are," Bubbles cried. "Please wake up!"

"Was Danny too late?" Buttercup asked, not intending to blame the ghost boy for anything. A deep frown formed on Dexter's face, not seeing a single hole in Conan's coat, even when he clearly had a coil run through it. He then he unsnapped the button of Conan's coat, and Jenny took the cue and lifted up Conan's shirt, gasping at what she found.

"Incredible." Dexter commented. He had expected an open wound, gushing with blood, but instead all that was there was a dotted circle where the coil would have penetrated. "Barely a scratch. He's…completely unharmed."

"Not completely." Blossom added, going to the kitchen to get some washcloths for the blood on Conan's mouth and the floor. She put one of the cold ones on Conan's forehead before she decided to scrub the carpet.

"Mm, m?" Conan's eyes twitched, triggering a sigh of relief from the girls. His eyes slowly opened, unveiling his own blue eyes, but closed again tightly due to the bright light. His vision gradually adjusted, and soon he was able to pick out the fearlful faces that hovered above him. "Wh-where'd I go just now?" He tried to bring a hand to grip his skull, for he had a killer headache, but he only heard himself grunt. "Wait, Zim! Is he here?" His heart began to beat faster, terror quickly rising. "I heard him, I swear I did!" It didn't make him at all comfortable the way the others looked at each other for answers.

xXx

Shinichi was propped up into a chair, waiting to regain control of his limbs. The others tried their best to explain what happened, but he was noticeably a bit groggy. Danny hid Zim's PAK away, phasing it to a spot under a floorboard, and the panic once again died down. All were well aware of their situation now, there is no longer doubt that they all had some sort of unique and deadly ability. They built up some courage, and were ready to take on the Community whenever called to. Of course, Danny still had to meet with this mysterious ally, so until then they must wait for orders.

"So, who wants to go first?" Danny said. No one wanted to leave his house, afraid of being out in the open, but that's not what Danny had meant. With no one else willing to reveal their abilities, Danny did so without another word. Now expecting some sort of supernatural wonder, no one had to gasp as Danny transformed into his ghostly self. "I am Danny Phantom." He announced. "Thanks to a lab accident, I am half ghost."

From then on it was like an AA meeting. Next up was Jenny, who stood a bit bashfully and pressed her belly button, which was actually a button. Her human disguise flickered away, the blue dress replaced with metal attire, her orange pigtails with rigid turquoise triangles, and her tan skin with a completely white and shiny metal coat. "I am XJ9, I am a robot."

The three girls then floated slowly in the air, letting their arms dangle and eyes droop. "We're the Power Puff Girls." Blossom solemnly made known. "We…are not normal little girls." It was stating the obvious, but no one chose to pry. "We were created in a lab."

Dexter was hesitant, to reveal his secret was a huge loss to him. To convince himself to finally do so, he had to close his eyes and pretend no one was there, which helped very little. "I'm Dexter, Boy Genius." He muttered softly, somewhat hoping no one would hear. "I have a Secret Laboratory."

Dex was even more hesitant, wringing his hands nervously and staring at the floor. His heels pounded on the ground and he shook a little, knowing very well the others were staring. They were also expectant and eager to hear what his special ability might be. "My—uh—he, this guy, that I turn into…I'd rather not let him out." He looked up. "He's been cooped up for a long time now, and I guess I'm a little afraid of what he'll do."

"Well, uh, this guy could have been let out a lot more than you think." Danny mentioned, and it made Dex only feel worse. Talk of a multiple personality made the others' eyes turn more avid, this could be quite intriguing.

"Then I'm afraid of what his mentality would be like," Was his excuse. "If he's been used for nothing but evil. He's b-b-basically inane, and he can do almost anything. He can shoot like lightning, flatten anyone like a pancake, and still be able to make a joke about it." He was paranoid, it was quite obvious. Dex was scared of his alter ego, and currently worried about what the others think about this.

"So, what, are you schizophrenic or something?" Buttercup questioned, to which Blossom responded with another hush.

"Why are you guys so ashamed of these powers?" Shinichi asked, folding his arms. All eyes turned to his, and he shook his head in disappointment at them. "Man! What I'd give to be able to do this stuff, you know why I'm here?" he asked slightly defiantly. "Cuz I'm a wise guy whose detective skills got him in big trouble." He sighed haplessly, feeling like the odd one out in this tiny faction. He loved being a detective and all, but to have super powers? Wasn't that every kid's dream at some point? "I rely on gadgets to bring people to justice, and I can't even take credit for it." He went on, trying to hide his spec of envy. "And you, you guys get to save the day in full glory. Don't you see? Sure, things look really, reeeeally grim at the moment," he actually smiled a little, the only way to hide his true emotions. Being a guy who devoted his life to exposing murderers, he couldn't shake the awful reaction that he himself was a murderer as well. It didn't matter if he didn't recall, or if it wasn't his own will, he would never forgive himself for murder. It was close to hypocrisy. "But, we can do this, we can get out of here. Then we can go back to 'saving the world', and make things right again. Now c'mon, ditch that sorry for yourself attitude!" He told this to himself as well, he can't mope forever for a wrong he wished he was never involved in committing. It was a pep talk for everyone in the room, it was time to become something more than kids! "It's time to be heroes!"

His speech worked, depressed faces transformed into determined ones, ready to kick some bad-guy butt!

xXx

The gray moon rose slowly over the horizon, demanding that it be seen above the over hundred-foot wall. Many twinkling silver stars surrounded it, along with purple and blue splatters of the milky way. One of the many few treats one can receive out here for free, without the price of your services, is to be able to see such a beautiful night sky, if you're lucky enough to get out past curfew. Danny gazed out his window for a short while looking at it, as if expecting his "old friend" were to fly across the moon. But he shouldn't jump to conclusions, he told himself. What if this friend can't fly?

Danny never changed into his PJs, not willing to meet this person while looking ready for bed. He retreated to his bed though, pulling himself away from the calling sky. He had always had the urge to float among the swirly night clouds, he assumed it would be relaxing. But with the way things are now, aware there would be security cameras watching his every move, he'd rather not. Even if he were fly while invisible, it sounded best not to risk it. Instead he chose to sit on his bed and wait, his head in his hands. That moon still bid him to come outside, tantalizing Danny with its dim rays that seeped through the windowpane. He forced himself to resist it, just like all the other days, but this time with more self-constraint.

He started shivering, and at first brushed it off as nothing. Suddenly the chill was becoming more evident, it was definitely a sign. He crossed his arms and rubbed them furiously, hoping the friction would keep his body heat in. But it was useless, his entire form became icy. He swore he could see his breath…wait, he could see his breath. The more he breathed, the less freeze he felt. His ghost sense having not gone off for so long, the sensation was alarming! Little did he know his skin turned a light hue of blue, ice sickles formed under the lobes of his ears.

"Hah!—Ha—huh!" he breathed in an out desperately, trying to get rid of this cold. Finally it left him, after he gave one big huff. A chill continued to tingle down his spine, but he no longer felt like he was going to become a frozen statue. He lifted his head when he heard a rush of wind, as if his window was open, but what he saw was a flowing white cape. Before him floated his former arch enemy, Vlad Plasmius. "A-a-are you th-th-the one who g-g-gave me the note?"

_Aw, he's shivering._ Vlad thought darkly, but quickly abandoned all thoughts of superiority and malice and held back his fangy grin. _To get this kid to trust you_ he thought, _don't cloud his mind with ideas of another possible foe._ _That means no hurtful banter._ "I am." He declared, his stern voice striking young Danny with almost a godly essence. His voice echoed in his ears, but something did not feel right about this man. Something about him…made him appear demonic. Could it be the devil horn shaped hair, or his blood red eyes? "Did you inform anyone else?" Vlad asked back.

"W-well." Judging by his stammer, followed by silence, Vlad took that as a yes. He never put it past Danny, he was a teenager after all, and secrets are usually hard to keep (especially one so life threatening). "I-I believe every word, th-the others, they also aren't normal humans."

"I know." Vlad landed, more lightly than a feather. "And I assure you, my only intent is to aid you and the others in your escape, but I need you to trust me." He instructed, guessing Danny expected a less monstrous "old friend" to come to his rescue. "Will you trust me?"

Still, something was eating at Danny that this man could be trouble. However…very strong instincts told him that at least at the moment, he was a fully honest ghost man. Possibly brutally honest. "I-I will, I want to get out of here."

"In due time, my boy." The tension in the air eased, Danny loosened his death grip on his arms and Vlad softened his glare. All conflicts between them before Vlad left aside, and Danny remained open minded, convinced by a ghostly instinct inside him that this ghost posed no threat. "You used to know me as Vlad, and I shall tell you all you need to know, and what you need to do."


	8. Why the Caged Bird Sings

Ch. 8: Why the Caged Bird Sings

Disclaimer: All characters belong to their creators, I in no way own them. They are amazing though.

It was the duty of a dog to protect the household, and if the intruder was a mere rat, it was no harsh obstacle impossible to overcome. The pooch uttered an annoyed, almost inaudible growl as he bounded off the porch to abandon his bone and investigate a sound he caught from the yard. He was a small mutt, more suitable for a lap dog than a guard dog, but should the need arise, could be quite capable of handling a problem for the biggest, bravest of canines. His home was the only ratty shack on the block…the only house at all. The endless desert surrounding the home stretched for miles and miles, surely no sane person would be sneaking around here. His fuchsia fur grew darker and darker as he ventured from the light and the safety of the porch, his cautious demeanor gradually returning as he approached the garden. He never liked the dark, but if ever he was needed to plunge into mysterious and unknown for the better of his family, he never had to think twice, or at most thrice. He caught the rodent scurrying over to the mostly barren garden, then gave a warning bark to retreat. The black silhouette stood up on hind legs to look at him, showing no sign of backing off. The dog barked again, with a growl on the end, as he scampered toward the creature, then halted once he was close enough to see it wasn't a rat. The species wasn't quite as familiar, but not so much to frighten him…just yet. He gave another growl, looking straight into the red haired creature's undaunted eyes.

"No need for alarm, doggy." Did the thing just speak? "I'm not here to steal your owner's crops, just passing through. However, not to offend, the climate here is horribly dry. I don't expect these eggplants here to taste very scrumptious."

The dog's mouth was left agape, his eyes wider than his face, and he howled as he bolted back toward the house to hide behind one of the wooden beams. The rodent shrugged and was on his way, feeling a little remorse for frightening the poor thing, but having no time to make amends. He had pulled up the straps of his enormous backpack, prone to sliding off as he stands still. The dog wasn't finished though, for after only a few seconds of waiting for his heart rate to return to normal, he peeked behind his hiding place to see if the creature even attempted to follow. He tilted his head in question to see the slender, red haired, short-legged creature jump on all fours across the wasteland that was his front yard and beyond.

The mutt's eyes narrowed in suspicion, and he weighed his thoughts if he should trail the intruder or not. The dog had a sense of curiosity, but not so much a taste for adventure. His duty to protect his home was no longer a requirement, but this uncontrollable wonder of what this talking ferret was up to would keep biting at him if he dropped the idea to follow. He finally gave into the urge, no matter how much he told himself he wouldn't like it, and once again he jumped off the porch and warily pursued the creature at a distance.

He walked slowly till he couldn't see the creature anymore, worried that if he could, he would be discovered and in deep trouble, but chased his scent expertly. At every opportunity he dove behind a giant rock to observe, listen, then continue. The silence around him plucked away at his determination, and he started to whimper as the farmhouse became smaller and smaller on the horizon. At many stops he wanted to turn back, but a sinking feeling told him he had to find out where that ferret was going; something intense was definitely up. His vigor led him to the point where he could see the rodent, and it was approaching a group of others standing silently solemn. The dog began to tremble, and he ducked behind the biggest, closest rock he could find near the group. His ears perked up, and he waited patiently for someone to speak.

"So you finally made it." A tall, stern man stated as the animal sat on a dune beside him. The man didn't have to turn his head to detect that the light-footed creature stood alone. "Where is she?"

"She's in the area." The animal replied. "But she doesn't like this place, she went to look for a patch of grass before she joins us."

"I don't favor it either." The man had a sun hat, despite it being pitch-black night, and he had a white work out suit, complete with a sheath and sword. His black hair was pulled back into a ponytail, much like the man who had called him here. His eyes were as distant as the creature's beside him, but just as noble. "This land reeks of the evil and macabre, a facility built to murder seems like nothing out of place."

The dog caught this, understood it as if it were human, and he had to refrain from whining at the word _murder_.

"And it's out in the middle of Nowhere, disguised as an ugly, perilous mountain. How clever." The man on the other side of the dune spoke. It was Vlad, or at least one of his duplicates, and in his ghost form. The man with the sword wasn't particularly fond of him, sensing an evil in his aura as well, but willing to comply, also sensing some good. The human narrowed his eyes at the ghost almost every time he spoke, but after a deep breath he tolerated such a malevolent being standing right beside him, as if it were too an innocent human. "We don't need HER to go over the plan for phase one, correct?" His associates nodded. Besides the two men and the rodent, there was one other, a young boy standing obediently by the man with the hat. He was bald, had many strange arrow tattoos, a mere stick for a weapon, and an air of a very skilled apprentice. He could handle the present situation without uneasiness; his master was surprised that this facility didn't come after him.

"I've explored this place, and if there's one thing that's for sure, that besides an untouchable spirit, or at least at that moment, the slyest, dirtiest rat can crawl through the ducts without being vaporized." Vlad explained, in no way trying to demean his furry friend next to him. "By now, they've put up an ecto shield, but the signature of a rodent will still go unrecognized. You," he pointed at the creature, "can wander around the living machine until you reach the core, and find the switch for the defense mechanisms, and turn it off, then we all will be able to launch our attack."

"Understood." The rodent seemed to nod, and he was ready to start; his eyes narrowed at the mountain that stood a few miles ahead. He gritted his sharp teeth and clenched his paws to the point where his claws pierced his own skin, he couldn't stand it. As a man, or considering himself the equal of a man, he made it his duty to make the world a better place for all. For such a monster to be controlling youths, and to be doing it for so long, he was eager to make the madman crumble along with his "business".

"That is all we can do for now, I can't even expect you to find the switch within the next few days. The main building is a monster of construction. You'll need to take some supplies with you, and this map, but I'm not sure if it will help any." Vlad went on, handing the creatures a copy of the blueprints he stole. The creature let his overstuffed pack fall off his back, then he unzipped it and dove inside. He comically found a minipack, already stuffed with enough food and water to last him three days. "You'll be in the dark for a long time."

"I won't let you down." The creature said. "And I won't let them down."

"Of course we won't." said the boy apprentice hotly, believing he doesn't need the permission to speak. "With theirs, ours, and the others combined, we'll crush this Mr. Big." He twirled his stick around proudly, as if ready to jump into battle this very second. His teacher disapproved of showing off, but his bravery at such a young age impressed the other gentlemen.

"Patience." instructed his teacher. "I know that I've told you that the righteous will prevail in the end, but to do so, they need to know exactly when to strike." His student feared he had spoken out of turn, a few seconds late, so he assumed a stance of discipline, sitting Indian Style on the dry dirt silently.

"So, Mr….Brent, is it?" Vlad asked, a bit embarrassed he forgot the name of the man he called to join his mission.

"They call me Jack."

"Right, Jack, you will lead the main forces, including your pupil, as soon as the shields and weapons are down. However, being that you don't truly have any special powers, you'll need to use extra caution." Vlad ordered.

"Of course." Jack replied.

"Your primary focus is to locate the children, organize them, then lead them all to destroy the main building and Mr. Big. It is crucial that they have some sort of strategy, instead of just charging into Mr. Big's office." Vlad said that with a tone of superiority, expecting silly children to do such. "I will lead the second force, which will gradually tear down the building from the inside, right under the noses of the guards."

"When do I commence infiltration?" the furry creature asked eagerly. Vlad turned once again to the mountain, crossing his arms, and floating a few inches off the ground. His eyes flashed a slightly brighter red in the night light, a thought of pure hatred and anger darting through his thoughts for a second.

"Now." The creature said no more, and with a mini backpack packed to the brim with small bits of food, the map, and a light, he bounded for the mountain at top speed.

The dog peeked behind the rock one last time to watch the rodent scamper out of sight, and after listening to this entire conversation, he wanted no part in what mission they were about to embark. He nervously creeped away, slowly heading back to his safe haven, home. Though, within a few feet, his path was blocked with two hoofs, and a shadow of some sort of livestock standing over him. She giggled goofily, and extended her front hooves to pick up the little dog.

"Ohhhhh! Heeheeheeheehee!" she had a very young, friendly, almost country accent, and she didn't even notice that her appearance made the pup howl madly, frightened out of his skull. His fur stood on end, his ears perked up, his eyes were wide and his mouth was hanging open, showing a tooth that had a hole straight through it. "What a cute little doggy!"

"Owooooooooooooo!!!"

xXx

"I'm sure you'd like to leave this very minute, Daniel," Vlad grimly told the boy, "But that can't happen. You can't desert the others because they can't leave even if they wanted to."

"I would never desert them, but why can't they leave?" Danny asked, sitting on his bed and staring at his visitor.

"You weren't simply brainwashed, child…Mr. Big can control you from afar, with a single button." Vlad motioned with a finger to press an imaginary button in front of him. "All he has to do is call you, and you will be at his feet like a dog if he so asks." Danny did not appreciate Vlad's use of tone, or the image he was given, but continued to listen intently. "We'll have to find a way to remove his power over you before you leave, or else he will just call you back and train you to stay." Again, Danny would like the dog analogies to stop. "Besides," Vlad sighed. "You can't fly, you can't phase, you can't even dig your way out of here."

"What?"

"I've been trapped here just like you, we're surrounded by an ectoshield and neither of us will be able to phase our way out." Vlad neglected to mention he was merely a duplicate that could fade away; perhaps having something in common with the boy will more easily secure his trust. "You can't fly over the wall, the sky above your head is an illusion; what you see is a dome shield and the image it projects. All those times you fought the urge to fly above the clouds? A good thing you did, or you would have found yourself in the same place as Zim's, after finding the truth." The older halfa mentally slapped himself, he thought he was going to avoid talking about the poor Irken, but since they were already on the subject—"If Zim had tried to make it over the wall, in plain sight of all of you and your friends, you would all find yourselves in a fix, having to be re-brainwashed as a precaution after seeing that it was indeed impossible. You can't tunnel under either; there are lasers and guns entangled in the circuitry ready to shoot all humans who dare try to escape or enter. "

"How can we not have a sky?" Danny found his gaze shifting to the window, staring at the moon again, but after the truth revealed, he either imagined or truly discovered that the moon was in no way as beautiful as it should have been. He swore he could see it now, a counterfeit moon, but he didn't want to believe it. "We feel wind and rain and all sorts of things."

"All of the weather conditions you feel here aren't real either. The climate is completely controlled by the scientists. They went through extreme measures to make sure you wouldn't suspect anything. However…now that you know, the next time it rains, you'll probably notice it doesn't taste like true rain, or the wind you feel won't be quite as refreshing. As bleak as it sounds, absolutely everything here is artificial, especially the fronts the adults show. I'm sure you've been to Dr. Hoax at least once?" It sent a terrible chill down Danny's spine, knowing that he let himself be examined by a potential murderer. What was even more nauseating was that Vlad expected him to stay here long enough to see another fake rain? When Danny lifted his head to look at Vlad anxiously to go on, Vlad shook his head shamefully at what he was going to have to tell the ghost boy. "You may not want to hear it, Daniel, but it's quite simple what your part is in this plan for escape." Vlad prepared the boy, taking a seat in a chair across from the bed, fingers pressed together like a sly businessman. "What I'm about to tell you you must tell all the others in the most secretive way possible, which could be difficult, for the only places where the cameras can't hit you is inside your abodes, and even that is not certain." Vlad sighed, knowing that this command would anger the teenager. "You must do nothing."

"Come again?" Danny did his best to keep his voice down.

"You heard me, nothing, understand? Do not use your powers, do not plot with your friends your own strategy to destroy the Black Building, and most importantly don't speak of this outside your house."

"You can't be serious, I've been doing nothing!"

"For one day, Daniel, you can live through more. Stay calm, lower your voice." Danny came down to a whisper, but he in no way calmed down.

"What about the others who won't? What about the lives I could destroy in those days? I can't just sit here and wait to kill again, I don't want to kill again! Just how do you expect us to get out without doing anything?!"

Vlad grew impatient very quickly with the boy's own determination, but he was on guard for such, especially with such a dark situation. "I have the plan. As we are speaking, I have a spy crawling through the shields of the big black building you think so fondly of, with it's nice, welcoming black gate." Danny was not amused by the older halfa's sarcasm, he almost wanted him to stop speaking entirely. "He will be the one to shut down the shields, and he should be able to get that done within the next few days. Once that occurs, I will have an army ready to attack, and that will be the perfect little sign for you and your friends to join with the onslaught. We will all bring down the building together."

Such a speech of guaranteed victory moved Danny inside, and he was willing to cooperate to release such anger, side by side with all his friends, and more it seems. But still, to do nothing just seemed…wrong!

"However, if you don't see that the building is under attack, or even if you do, another friend of mine will come and organize all of you. He is aware of each and every one of your abilities, and he'll use this knowledge to assign you all a structure to destroy. I do not want you doing anything without his instructions, understand?"

Danny gave a half glare half look of appreciation, and he begrudgingly answered, "Understood." Staring at this man's face during this pep talk gave him this attitude of stubbornness, he couldn't tell why. Could he really have been an ally in his real life?

"Good, I believe that's all the head's up I can give you." Vlad said with a sigh, he really wished he could tell the kid more. He wanted to tell him it was all right, that he WOULD get home, but honestly, he couldn't truly make any promises at this point. The child could still rebel. He looked down at the younger halfa now, pitying the look of obliviousness, helpless to move things along and unable to bring him home. Vlad had one thing though that could brighten Danny's mood and strengthen his faith in him. He hid his hand behind his coat, striking an interested look from Danny. When he pulled it back out, he caused him to flinch. Danny also did not understand why he was suddenly provoked to anticipate foul play from this man. "You will probably want to read this." He handed Danny his file that he stole from the building, along with a huge stack of files below it.

"Wh-what is it?" Danny asked, clutching the folder and not taking his eyes off it, his name on the tab striking his interest.

"It's your life, I shall say. I've read it myself. All correct, all in great detail. Perhaps it'll give you back some of your memories." Danny very much wanted that, the papers he held so tightly in his shaking hands, typed by so evil a creature, was the best present he could ever ask for. His trust was renewed, all hostility left aside for good, or at least until this whole thing was over with. He opened it up the second Vlad finished the words "your life". His eyes were instantly glued to the various snapshots of his family: his mom, his dad, his sister, and two other teenagers he used to call his best friends. "It's not the entire stack, those lower folders belong to the others. I'll go ahead and say they're allowed to read theirs as well, but by sundown tomorrow, I suggest you get rid of these." Vlad urged. "If the staff finds you with them, the whole prison break is ruined. Burn 'em, soak 'em, eat 'em, I don't care. Just stay safe."

"They look so…clean." He commented, after staring at his family for quite some time. Vlad chuckled at that being the first thing the boy says after acquiring so much information.

"What did you think they were?" Vlad prodded with great curiosity, an air of chumminess in his voice.

"Well," Danny started, referring to the lie his brain was tricked to call his past. "I always thought my dad was a child abusing alcoholic, my mom a skanky prostitute, and my sister a runaway teenage mother." Vlad snickered at the lie of Jack, but had not even heard a word of Danny's delusion of sister Jazz. His mind was stuck on the description of Maddie, a rage stirring within him.

"How dare they tell such lies?!" He unexpectedly burst; now he was the one who needed to keep his voice down. "Maddie is the most loving, respectable, and beautiful woman in all of the known universe! Dispose of all thought of her pursuing such a profession!" He growled, clenching a fist in the air. Danny again jerked in surprise, but eventually lowered his eyebrows assuming that this man was a great friend with his mom. It made him all the more want to go home and be with his real family, more than anything in the world. Vlad gained his composure quickly, slightly embarrassed, but he simply coughed and transformed into his ghost form. "The greatest luck to you and the other prodigies, son." Vlad placed a hand on his shoulder. "Remember, no matter how much it hurts you, you must do nothing. Let me handle this." Danny's eyes fell to the floor, as if his eloquent thank you for this man was written on the carpet. For the first time since Zim's extermination, he felt a spec of comfort with this old friend's hand on his shoulder. He still objected to the plan, but he had no chance to suggest an alternative. Vlad turned into nothing but mist, leaving him alone, with these precious history books.

xXx

Danny didn't sleep for a second that night. After Vlad's departure, all he could do was stare at the ceiling and ponder about his instructions. How could he do nothing? How can he let himself be used as a gun and do absolutely nothing? As much as he hated the horrible truth, his maturity told him it may have been unfair, but it was the best thing to do. His instincts however told him otherwise, told him to break out of this cage and get some well-deserved pay back like an enraged lion. He wanted to charge into that big black building and smack some heads, show them exactly what he thinks about their little "paradise". He scowled, imagining the face of that Dr. Hoax. He had stood in the presence of the guy, he thought he was here to help, he thought he was a friend! Was he involved in the execution of Zim? Something answered back that yes, he's just as bad as everyone else, those soldiers that he now remembers so clearly, and that scientist who was too cold to answer him that chaotic night. All it took was a few papers and triggers to make him remember, and it made his ectoplasmic blood boil.

He switched to a more calming subject to wipe the anger off his face, what of his family? He had a caring family? Who is missing him right now? That was so hard to believe, yet so easy, he wanted so badly to believe in that he allowed all of it to be true without question, but he hadn't read his entire file yet. Somewhere, he had a mom, a dad, a sister, and two friends who were devoted to the end, loving, nurturing, and looking for him. It's a much more wonderful sentiment than his delusion given to him by the scientists. It was only dawn, he had a few more hours until he had to get up and live a "normal" day. He opened the file he had been hugging all this time and read, just read, trying his hardest not to laugh, cry, or scream out in anger that these things were taken from him. He read for a full three hours, probably a record for him, had he known, then he heard a knock on his door. He was hesitant to answer it, but he sighed and admitted to himself that he must.

"Good morning, Danny!" bubbled Jenny with the most friendliest of smiles, just like every morning. "Arcade again today?"

"Actually, I was thinking we could go check out that building site for the movie theatre." That's right, Fenton, small talk.

"Sure. Oh, can I use your mirror for a second?"

Danny took the hint, and motioned her inside. The second he closed his door, the safe, privacy assured little click of the lock changed the robot's emotions in an instant. She let her disguise flicker away, and she ran to the couch and let her eyes hide behind her metallic hands. For many seconds she wouldn't look back up at her human friend, but she could hear the obvious question he asked with his pitiful silence. She pulled her hands away to just stare at them for a while, then she finally confided in Danny.

"I had the most awful dream sequence last night while in sleep mode." She began, her unblinking lights for eyes looking at the boy who sat beside her, ready to listen. "I entered this house, no, it wasn't even a house, it was more like a club house, you know, a smaller version of one." Danny nodded. "But you see, I had to be forceful, because entrance was only accessible through a password or a scan of some sort. I had used one of the mini missiles in my arm. Once I was in, I jumped down a shaft, and found myself in a large, impressive lab." She turned away from Danny and stared into space, the vision so clear, as if she was playing it again in her head. "I went exploring, I wanted to stop and examine the machinery, but something was pulling me to keep moving, as if looking for something specific. I walked into a room with a giant screen, a console, and a chair in front of it. And in that chair with his head asleep on the console, I saw a little boy." She was starting to choke up, as if she would cry, but of course she couldn't, so she kept going. "I-I…I-." Danny heard her voice get higher, detecting something painful tugging at her, and he almost asked her to stop and let it go. He didn't want to hear it, but in away, the suspense made him keep his mouth shut. "I shot the console! He sprung awake, and spun around in his chair to look at me, color draining from his face within seconds. He couldn't move, the poor kid, but only stare at me like-like I was some monster! He was short, had a fairly big head, and his hair was shaped into this perfect, fudge, swirly looking thing."

_How can she remember a dream so well?_ Danny thought, but dismissing it as a robot thing. A horrible truth was eating at his mind, he told himself to shut up and just listen!

"His eyes were blue, I think, and they were glued to mine." She went on with drama in her voice. "Something told me to only wake him up first, as if I wanted to see that fear in his eyes, as if I wanted to record it for future references. It was this horrible feeling of indulging in another's fear, I hated it, yet at the same time, enjoyed it!" She got angry with herself for that moment, then moved on to the gory details. "I slaughtered him…I used a machete, a laser, a hammer. I can't live with this memory! I want it deleted! Oh dear God I want it gone! This red blur, it's like a laser pointer shining in my eye forever!"

Danny didn't know what to say, except make the incomplete sentence, "It was only a d--"

"I framed his dog." Jenny added, her eyes now closed and her back hunched. That caused a double take for Danny.

"Wh-what?"

"It was robotic…like me. It had tried to defend the little boy, but it's own weapons had no affect on me. I snatched it off the ground like a vultrue, opened up it's back, and made it so every time it barked, it would growl. Every time it would try to bring out a helpful item, it would bring out a bat or a knife. I completely reprogrammed it to act like the very killer the scene I left matched with."

This time, Danny couldn't bring himself to speak, not a single reassuring word.

"I wanted to believe it was just a bad dream sequence…just a nightmare, you call it. But this morning…I…I" She opened her chest abrubtly, making Danny flinch a little at the metal and potential weapons, gleaming white and gray metal twinkling in his eyes. Then she stuck her hand in and pulled out the evidence. "I found these tangled in my circuitry!" She held an inch away from Danny's nose…a hair, a perfect strand of swirly brown hair. It was so perfect, it could stand up by itself, no dangling like a fragile, weak hair. Danny had no comment once again, in fact, he looked away from her shamefully, if disgraced not by her, but by himself for not finding words to console her. "Please, Danny, you're my friend. Tell me it was only a vivid dream; tell me it's only my imagination, a coincidence that I find this! Please!" She begged, dropping the hair and clinging to his sleeve. "Tell me it was a dream, tell me anything! Please, please!" It wasn't helping that Danny got up and left her alone on the couch, or it least it felt like she was abandoned so coldly. His hands were balled in fists, his head hanging, and his throat choking down the hot, wet momentums of this conversation, signaling the end of it.

"We need to start our normal day." He said emotionless, or so appearing on the outside. On the inside, he was bawling, and praying for that little boy, and the comfort for Jenny which he could not give. He couldn't bring himself to tell a lie, even a little white one that wouldn't hurt her feelings.

"Oh…Danny." She couldn't help it any longer, her emotion disc caused her to make sobbing noises she couldn't control. She even buried her head in the pillow on the couch to hide her invisible tears.

xXx

The two walked down the street, the plaza displaying a new sign with the letters THEATRE right under the sign with the ARCADE. They didn't have to walk far to see the building under construction, though no workers in sight. It seems they'll only work at night. All that was up were the bare walls, no color, and certainly too dangerous for kids to play in. Amazingly, the landscape didn't look that damaged: no tractor marks, no foot prints, no sign of work being done at all. The Powerpuffs and Conan were already standing at the sidewalk, gazing at the structure, making guesses if they were going to have to stay here long enough to use it.

"It's going up quickly, isn't it?" Conan said coolly, arms crossed and catching a glimpse of the couple coming closer out of the corner of his eye.

"Yep," Danny agreed, suspicion hidden. "Hopefully it'll be up soon, I'm getting bored with the same old thing every day."

"What movies do you think we will see?" Jenny chimed in, the previous discussion blanked out for the time being.

"Who knows." Sighed Buttercup. "But we didn't really have anything else planned for the day." Blossom stood quietly, nodding every now and then, but in no mood to talk. Bubbles wouldn't speak at all. She remained dead quiet until she spotted a squirrel, and she giggled and scampered up to it.

"Hey, we could go back to my house." Danny suggested. "Hoax gave me a few space themed movies by request, we could watch them now." It wasn't a complete lie, so it was easy to say in case a camera was locked on him. Every eye read his, and caught on, even Bubbles, who abandoned her squirrel friend.

"Let's ask the Dexters to join us too." Jenny added. And the group was off.

_Wow._ Danny thought as they strolled back to the Neighborhood. _We're really good actors. We should all have our own TV show._

xXx

Danny set up one of the movies, a provision made in case use of electronics was monitored. He turned down the volume, and turned to face his guests sitting in various places. The girls had the couch, Dexters had chairs, Jenny stood near him, and Conan leaned against the wall, an eyebrow raised in interest. The blinds were closed and the room was fairly dim, not to mention grimly silent.

"You guys have been used to build the theatre too, ya know." Conan commented immediately, detective skills inconspicuously at work today. The ones equipped with flight and super strength nodded in agreement, accepting the revelation, but moving on to more important business. "So, what did this friend tell you, and what do we need to hear?" Danny took a big heavy sigh for preparation.

"As much as I hate to say it. He instructed us all to do nothing…nothing. We will have to continue to go about our daily lives, and pass everyone off as happy little neighbors, like nothing happened." Danny stated sadly.

"What?!" Buttercup stood up. "No way, I could barely do that for one more minute, but now I have to do it for who knows how long?! I want out of here, I'll fly out of here right now!"

"Let me finish." Danny said impatiently, feeling the role of Vlad, Buttercup getting back to her seat. "Help is on the way, we should expect it within the next few days. And if we try to fly out, we'll just hit the shield dome." He huffed and leaned against a wall. "The sky we see isn't there," he basically recited, "It's only an illusion. The rain we feel isn't real, the wind is also artificial. The entire climate here is under their control." Danny looked over the disappointed faces, most of them showing signs of the readiness to fight for their freedom. "Vlad gave me these." Danny announced as he made his way to the coffee table, spreading out the manila folders. "They're the files…on all of us." Interests of all were peaked, and they leaned in for a closer look of these precious documents. "Our lives are written in here, the real ones, and in great detail too. I've read mine, it's…very revealing." He passed out the files to their respected owners, and pages flew open. "You guys will probably like to read them today, but later, I'll have to burn them, so _they_ don't find it in my possession." All understood, then stopped listening to him, and placed their noses in the information, as if dear life depended on it. All sound on the outside was blocked, be it the TV, the birds outside, or the rustling of other pages.

Jenny was the first to have a memory recovered, and while reading the first page too. She found a picture of her creator, a short, white haired woman with glasses who looked well on her way to becoming the mad scientist she was meant to be, but with a face of a soft, caring mother. Jenny scanned the picture over and over, again and again, just that one picture, and a frame by frame moment of her existence flashed it's way across her eyes.

"_You don't look dweeb. I think you look very puh-hat."_

" _It's pronounced phat, mother."_

_Mom._ Jenny thought, she could see it so clearly now, and hear her voice as if she were talking to her this very instant. So this is the creator she had, not some stupid mechanics with an experiment gone wrong. She was supposed to be this way, she wasn't a broken vacuum cleaner! She read the bio on her mother, each word healing and hiding the lies put in her head. She resisted hugging this information and read on, finding the sections on two of her human friends.

The girls were cooing over a father figure they racked their brains to remember the name of without cheating. They wanted to remember themselves. "Uranium? Pluto? Plutonium?! Utonium!"

Dex had to make a few sniffles while he read the information on his mom, dad, and strangely his bully of a brother, because he couldn't recall a single moment with them. All he could recall were the feelings he felt for them, which were overall good, and his missed them, he wanted to know them again sooner or later. Suddenly excitement burst from his body, like a jolt of electricity, and he exclaimed, almost in a completely different voice, "Cosgrove! Mah buddy!" He pointed gleefully at a man in a police uniform. He later broke crying in a comical way for a girl named Steph and his driving instructor, Roddy.

Conan felt some sentiment too for his long lost parents, felt a shudder when he realized someone else knew about the evil organization of the men in black, but stood staring for a particularly long time at the photo of a girl he knew as Ran.

Even Dexter preferred the pictures to the text, and he was one who enjoyed reading. He gazed for a seemingly long time of a picture of a tall, slender, pink wearing blonde girl. He suddenly covered his ears as recollections of crashing noises surrounded him; they weren't there, but it triggered a memory. _Dee Dee_ was the name of his sister. He said it aloud in a bitter tone, with the venom of a snake. Then, after some seconds of consideration, he repeated it with a softer, mourning tone, wishing with all his might to hear the destructive dance that used to travel around his lab.

Danny stood on the sidelines and observed the faces of his friends, almost tearing up himself at the sight of their grief and misplaced joy coming and going on their faces. To see these pictures of friendly faces accompanied with high standard bios was a comfort, yet an agony to read. To think that these people should have to be separated for a single day, for more if the escape proves unsuccessful! Danny just couldn't stand living in this cage any longer. His desire for revenge was then highly outmatched by the desire to go home, and he was determined to get there as soon as possible, ignoring whatever consequences he might face. He had ghost powers, with this new knowledge of his true history he could face these criminals! Forget the possible setbacks, he wanted out of here!

xXx

Three boys were running down the snowy sidewalks of Colorado toward the movie theatre, early given allowance clenched tightly in their gloves. A fourth boy trailed behind them, for he stopped to pick up one of the biggest finds an elementary child has ever found. He chose not to tell his chums, for they were indeed jerks, but he didn't mind being nicknamed the slowpoke of the group for being so far behind (having been called worse names in the past). He found a one hundred dollar bill, a lot of money for a child to find in this town and on this sidewalk. The boy wore a very thick, orange hoodie, which was pulled to cover most of his face to the point his speech was muffled. All four children were panting, shouting comments at each other about the movie they were about to see or how fat one of the kids was. This specific fat kid was also falling behind, and he responded to his laughing friends with grunts and insisting they were just jealous.

The hooded boy tripped once the ground started shaking, and he rolled over to look up at the source. A robot that stood over 10 stories tall was approaching him very slowly, and very menacingly. The robot had an assortment of colored metals, from gray to purple to black to yellow, many of the parts sharp and shining in the moonlight. It had the physique of a familiar short scientist, complete with glasses, but alien to the boy. A boy about his age, maybe even younger, was operating the metal giant.

The boy didn't know what to do, should he run? Should he scream? In a way, he just groaned, laid back and accepted it, like this was the norm. His friends turned around at the sound of scraping metal hinges and watched wide-eyed as their friend lay on the ground, helpless. Just as he thought, an enormous foot from came down on him with a squish. The other boys rushed up to the fiend without a rational thought about their own safety, cursing something in awe of the monster.

"He killed Kenny!" One of the boys exclaimed. Pointing an accusing finger at the robot.

"You bastard!" Another child said.

And with that, the job was done, and rocket boosters emerged from the mech's feet. He flew away at the speed and valor of a great spaceship, leaving no explanation for its brief visit.

xXx

Yay for being back and writing things! But for how long? –shifty eyes- Sorry this took FOREVER, and sorry it's a little rushed, but I've kept this long enough, hope you enjoy!


	9. Feeding the Anger, Feeding an Army

**Kraven the Hunter**: And more is finally given. You'll find out eventually, if not in this chapter.  
**Barking Pup**: I like writing Zim this way, in fact, he's the most fun to write for. Thank you for your review, so nice! I also enjoy a good crossover, especially when so many different characters meet. I'm not done yet, there's still more I plan to cram into this fic.  
**Phillip Clark**: Yep, and that's not all!  
**Tetsukon**: Thanks. I've definitely watched them all, being obsessed and what not. Crossovers are fun.

Ch. 9: Feeding the Anger, Feeding an Army

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these cartoons. If I did, I would own everything, including the souls of giraffes.

The sun high in the sky, the shadows on Earth small and giving very little comfort to heat beaten creatures, the wasteland that is Nowhere is at its peak of…unbearable weather. It was true genius, if not obvious, to make a secret headquarters there, despite the constant strange goings on. Only one house is even close, and even it was still built many miles from the ominous dome, disguised as a mountain. Besides the usual lizards, flies, and vultures, only one other animal was wandering around the unwelcoming vicinity, only stopping to nibble on grass. She was a cow, with coarse yellow fur and brown blotches, fairly young, and a glazed look in her eyes. The sun had taken its toll, she was tired, hungry, and thirsty, and the biggest shadow of all (from the evil mountain, ironically) was the greatest gift she was given in this situation. She seemed to be a pitiful, little lost farm animal, just looking for any patch of the driest grass to soothe her belly, but that stupid gaze was hiding something sinister, yet at the same time noble. The unseen cameras fixed their lenses on her for but a second, then quickly lost interest and looked away. Little did they know she was a spy, and she wasn't alone.

"How long is it now?" She roughly whispered, exaggerated drama in her voice, to her invisible ally, yet another duplicate of Vlad's. He had split himself into who knows how many, to take care of human business matters along with this crazy venture to rescue some super powered youths. "When will we be ready?"

"We still have a few days, I believe. But rest assured, Cow. We'll have our army in time. Your job is simple for now, just tell me if you see anyone fly away, hear any guns go off, and if the mountain illusion disappears." The ghost instructed. The cow nodded, her ears pinning down and shooting the mountain a dirty look.

"All has been quiet, so far." She reported. "Ohh…" she sighed, her ears now drooping as she worries. "I hope my good friend is not in twouble." She referred to the red haired, squirrel like rodent, who still was crawling through the ducts of the building inside.

"I've heard of his deeds." Vlad told her, as he remained invisible, but knowing he should leave soon. He had calculated the time it took for cameras to rotate around the dome, and a heat seeking one should be coming around soon. "He will be fine." But in truth, he still could not guarantee anything. He was always so sure of himself when it came to personal gain, but organizing a rescue mission was completely unfamiliar. He won't be able to breathe easy or sleep a wink until this horrible ordeal is over. Cow heard the whoosh of his cape, signaling he had flown off, and she resumed her post as an oblivious bovine. She gave a moo and stamped off to find another patch of grass to keep her busy as she kept on guard.

xXx

Danny continued to watch his friends read their files, his own already read, read twice, and burnt by this point. He had read so intently, he could recite paragraphs from the documents. He didn't even acknowledge it, but tears were still leaking from his eyes. They weren't warm, weren't cold, but they were there; a sign that he was still thinking about going home. He weighed the pros and cons of going against Vlad's warning and instruction, to speed things up and return to his family that very moment. He wanted desperately to embrace his parents, his sister, and his friends, because memories had indeed returned to him. He recalled battles with familiar ghosts, along with the aid of his best friends, Tucker and Sam. He remembered saying something to his parents about backwash, and how he sometimes had to avoid them to avoid their new, untested, and potentially dangerous weapons as well. If it were up to him, he wouldn't care if they had a new weapon in their hands right now, he would want to stand with them. At least then he would feel safer. To his dismay, however, he could still not recollect any time spent with this ally of his. He also didn't understand why he couldn't control certain angry emotions he felt towards Vlad, but he kept his faith in him, being all he had left.

He told himself inside that he had the power to break out of his cage on his own, and with his friends' powers, victory would come easy. After Jenny's story of her latest…nightmare…he considered doing just that, a full out attack on the black building so nothing ever haunts her like that again. He realized it sounded a bit reckless, but who would want to hear another gory story of how a little boy was murdered? Though Vlad had good intentions, he couldn't possibly understand how these kids were feeling. If they didn't have these bios to keep them busy, the thought of doing nothing would simply destroy them.

Danny still wanted to wait, not wanting to rush into anything so dangerous without more time to dwell on it. He wanted to give his ally's friend a little more time to shut down the shields, but he wasn't sure if he could take three more days of this agony. He gave Vlad that much, for the time being. He had three days to fix this, before Danny released his own form of justice: rage.

A startling sound roused everyone from their quiet time, and they all looked to Danny with great alarm. Danny rose promptly with wider eyes than all, being that it was his phone that rang. None of the kids have interacted with any of the staff since the day before yesterday. The worst reasons of why one would call ran through everyone's thoughts, and for those who had a skin tone dark enough turned pale. They let the phone ring five times before Danny regained his composure, shook off his nervous shakiness in his hands and stuttering in his voice. He can't sound suspicious. "I-I'll get it." He quickly brought the shiny, brand new phone to his ear. "Hello?"

"Good afternoon, Danny. How are you feeling?"

"Uh, fine, Dr. Jeff, I got everyone over here watching one of the movies you let me borrow." The children suddenly froze at the mention of his name, and they held their breath.

"You never came by yesterday. I forgot, did I tell you I wanted to change the bandage on your arm?"

"Oh! That's right, yeah, you did, I'm sorry. I accidentally dropped my phone yesterday and it broke, I had to ask the staff to get it replaced. But, uh, it's looking fine, doc, I don't think you need to." He was glad that that was all Hoax had called him for, but he would rather not step into that freaky man's office ever again.

"Could you come over right now, anyway? I want to make sure you're not infected. How far are you into this movie?"

"Um, about an hour." Danny didn't like where this was going, not at all.

"If it's ok, I'd like you to come here as soon as it's over, ok?"

"Sure…no problem." His tone sounded off, as if defeated, but Hoax's request never sounded like an attack.

"See you soon." And the phone clicked off, no more questions asked. As soon as the phone was put back on the hook, Danny began trembling violently. He thought he was going to faint.

"Danny, what's wrong?" Jenny asked frightened when she saw him hunch over a counter for support. "What did he say?" The name of Jeff had made their blood run cold, but they couldn't possibly picture the alternatives that were running through Danny's head. They noted that he wasn't even breathing, and could swear they heard a terrified heart beat.

"He wants me to come over so that he could check my arm, but…what if it's more than that?" Danny said grimly as he looked up at his friends. They too were thinking of horrible possibilities, but dare not say them aloud. "I have to go, or they'll get suspicious."

"You want us to go with you?" Blossom suggested, putting her precious file aside and staring at Danny with fearful eyes.

"No, no, I'll be ok." Danny lied, unsure. "Maybe it's nothing, maybe that's all he's gonna do. Y-yeah," he told himself. "He doesn't know anything." As much as the youngsters wanted to believe that, they couldn't convince themselves the slightest bit, the threat of being found out was all that occupied their paranoid little minds.

xXx

This island was once a beautiful paradise, teaming with life, countless species for flor and fauna alike, but had recently been buried under a blanket of dried magma half a mile thick, and also made the new, rival head quarters of the evil organization. First off, the island situated in the Bermuda Triangle helped keep unwanted visitors away, as well as the ghostly assistance which gave its power to disappear. Vlad, of course, was there to go over strategies and assign squadrons, and is currently holding auditions. This was one of his proudest moments, his moment of glory. He had never felt so much pride as a villain; he commanded lowly henchman to do nothing but grunt work, but here he is commanding an army of heroes. Not by himself, of course; other adults contributed their advice and resources, but this was his creation. He never knew doing good could feel this…good. But, it was still hard work, especially when he had to make tough, near impossible decisions of who his soldiers were going to be.

A group of super powered teens just walked away from his humorous wooden desk on this ugly, dead rock. He pointed them in the direction of the man called Jack to be led to their squads. They were a good find, quite amazing actually they weren't forced into the Community. Perhaps it would have been impossible to brainwash them all successfully, especially the spooky chick with the name of, what was it, a crow?

Vlad didn't seek out all of these people, in fact most were recommended and discovered by his respected associates. He pressed his fingers together like the business man he is and raised an eyebrow at the next audition, a fairly skinny man (at least under his bulky, green striped armor, which covered his entire body) and his dog. The appearance of these two particularly was less than intriguing, certainly not daunting, powerful troops, and Vlad was prepared to turn them away from the danger ahead.

"Name." He stated dryly, a mere clipboard and pen ready.

"Steve, and this here is Blue." The man showed no emotion, and his dog sat obediently at his side. The breed was unfamiliar, a mixed mutt of some kind, but the name surely matched. It stood up to the man's hips, let its floppy ears twitch at the sounds of other soldiers and animals not far from there, and the tail wag slightly. The nose was pointed forward and the eyes were alert, showing Vlad some kind of respect.

"Let me guess," Vlad liked to pass the time with banter, it was simply in his vicious nature. Most people on the island were either sick of it or have accepted it by now, not wanting to start a brawl with their main commander. "He talks and solves mysteries with a bunch of kids from the 70's." Steve couldn't hold back a smile, not at all offended.

"No, SHE is quite capable to take down any man of any size with any weapon within claw's reach. In all her years of training, she hasn't been shot once, she understands the human language perfectly, and she shows intelligence greater than a human's. She can pick locks, memorize maps, and is able to use the elements to her advantage." Vlad was not convinced, but to give the dog a fair chance his split himself into two. One remained at the desk and the other took a battle stance in front of Blue.

"Very well, Blue, you may show me a quick demonstration. Please try not to get puppy guts on my island." Steve backed away and gave the two warriors' their space. The Vlad clone smirked and shot at the pup straight on, and to his actual surprise, once the smoke cleared, there was nothing there. He didn't even have time to turn around, so he fell face first into the dry, rough rock after he was dragged 6 feet by the determined doggy. He quickly phased from the grip of her fangs, seeing green blood trickle down his leg and feeling some down his cheek, then almost growling as he shot more ectoblasts at her. She dodged every one, and even jumped 10 feet into the air and tackled him to the ground. The duplicate decided to fade away before his face was eaten. She snarled at the dust for some time, before Steve called her back and gave her a loving pat on the head. Her tail wagged a bit more and her mouth hang open as she panted like a normal, playful puppy, other than a ruthless fighter. One could say Vlad's opinion was instantly changed. "Impressive! I suppose we could squeeze you in. We've been getting a variety of attack dogs, and we plan to spread them out. If you please, wait over there with the others, and, try to behave."

Steve led Blue over to a group of dogs that were already in play mode, pouncing on each other and tugging on ears. Variety was right. Blue had the choice to rough house with a kaki colored dog in a ninja out fit, a mutt in apparel similar to Superman (but a giant U on his chest), a young, bluish gray Akita Inu mix with demeanor of a leader, and a solid red canine that stood as tall as a building! She also saw a dog of the robotic breed, painted gray and green, along with a white dog that stood up right and wore glasses, who was currently arguing with a heavily breathing Chihuahua, claiming he was an "iiiiiidiioooot!"

There would be four separate forces, with two dogs each, and, of course, including other fantastic fighters, eager to begin their mission and make some bad guys' heads roll.

xXx

Danny had been gone for over thirty minutes, taking his dear sweet time making the way to the hospital. The others wanted to read the rest of their bios, or for some re-read, but they couldn't get their minds off of their ghostly buddy. They were too preoccupied worrying about what the doctor's true intentions were. To complement Danny's anxiety, a light, fake rain began to fall during the last seconds of the movie they pretended to watch. He had grabbed his standard blue umbrella leaned against the wall next to the door, and lumbered out of the Neighborhood without a single word, making his stroll a somber funeral march.

Visits to the hospital were barely longer than ten minutes, but the walk there could be painfully long, especially considering these circumstances. To walk there and back was an estimated forty minutes in this weather, and the children waited in Danny's living room anxiously, occasionally sharing a few, more lighthearted comments, mostly about their pasts, to forget about what could become of the ghost boy.

But nothing anyone could say would calm them down, until they saw Danny on the horizon of the Neighborhood. He appeared intact, indeed sporting a clean bandage on his arm, but when he was close enough for them to notice his blank stare, they started shivering. Why would his eyes be so still like that? It reminded Jenny of how Zim would look, after he left the hospital, calm, but out of it.

Those who were close to the window watched him slowly approach his own door, turn the knob, and enter, and every one's heart skipped a beat. Danny put his umbrella outside on the porch, then closed the door behind him with barely even a soft click. The silence thickened the tension, until he sighed his deepest.

"Is everything ok?" Jenny instantly questioned when the door was completely shut. Almost all didn't even want to hear what Danny had to say.

"I'm fine." Whew. He made his way further inside the living room, feeling very tired. The Powerpuffs moved off the couch, and he accepted it with gratitude. "That was so freaky. I swear I can see it now." He lay down, clutching his cranium. "How did we not see it before? The man has these…shifty eyes, he asks strange questions, and he expects you to believe everything he says about how you're feeling. I can see it now, the truth in his eyes. He has murdered someone before, and he never cared." Danny rubbed his eyes, never feeling so drained before. "And to let him touch you, augh, it sends a chill down your spine." A memory suddenly triggered, Danny recalled his friend Tucker's fear of hospitals; now they share the same phobia.

"Does he want to see you again?" Conan piped in. Danny shook his head. "Good. We'll just need to be careful for a few days; no getting scrapes or just toughening up if we have a headache." He coached. "So we don't have to enter that mad man's office ever again."

"You don't understand. I can't sleep at night knowing I'm within a mile close to 'Dr. Jeff'." Danny retorted, sitting back up. All heads turned a bit away shamefully, hating themselves for once thinking that name couldn't be anything but friendly. "I'm not sure if I've ever been more scared in my life, letting a murderer look me over, it sounds sick, doesn't it?! And I know in my gut he murdered Zim, and who knows how many others. Either I go and blast him to bits or we leave right now."

"Don't dismiss the plan." Dexter scolded. "Just give the adults a little faith, they can't be any stuuuupider than we were."

"I was going to give them the three days." Danny admitted. "But if they don't find a way out for us by the end of tomorrow, we're launching our own attack. I refuse to be spied on any longer!"

"Now that's a plan!" Buttercup cheered with a smirk, never taking a liking the previous one anyway.

"I'm in too." A shocking input from Bubbles. "I hate it here, after we found out, I can't, I just can't! I can't just act normal, not when innocent people are suffering! My conscience will kill me!"

"This is madness." Blossom countered. "You go through with it, everything's going to be ruined, we'll be right back where we started, or even before then!"

"Isn't two days enough time?" Danny asked. No one could reply. "We gave Vlad a fair shot, but we could handle it ourselves if we truly want outta here. And if he wants to join in with the onslaught, he very well could. He'll notice our lasers and lightning and he can jump in if he feels ready. Well, I already feel—!" He yawned, losing his fire.

"This is a bad idea, Danny." Jenny intruded. "You're simply filled with anger right now, try to think rationally."

"Well, aren't you angry? Don't you just want to spit nails at Dr. Jeff? For lying to you and telling you every day that he was going to help Zim, yet all the time he was just preparing him to be slaughtered? You made it a chore, no, your duty to protect Zim and keep him alive until they found the 'cure'. Jeff threw all your hard work away, your precious time, your feelings for the poor kid. He turned you into a traitor; you want him to get away with that, for even a single day?" Danny hit her where it hurt, now her eyes glowed red and she too wanted sweet revenge.

It was inevitable. A super hero simply can't do nothing, not while people are hurt, and villains think for a minute that they won the war.

xXx

Around 8:00 in DC, a few spectators were gathering to watch a few of the contestants in the Snowcone Eating Constest train for the upcoming weekend. A festival was being set up in a park, classic carnival style, complete with tents, a few small rides, cheap booths, and a stage where people will surely embarrass themselves, either by dancing and singing, or stuffing their face with the frozen treat. Most of the visitors were children from a class trip, scheduled at the beginning of the year and most likely out of state. Even some of the contestants weren't from around here, most likely tourists that found themselves in the right place at the right time.

"Hey, Arnold." Said a boy whose head looked like an upside down snow cone itself. He pointed over at three boys on the stage, the big one of them eating like a maniac. "Check out this sucker, he'll win all right, but he's going to lose some brain cells."

"It's almost disturbing." Arnold added, making a sickening face on his football head. The other children in their class were simply in awe about how the jaundice looking fellow could eat so much ice. Their fun was suddenly melted away as their teacher called them to start heading back to the hotel. They groaned as they heard of the extra "special" fun they are bound to have the following day, with trips to the many memorials.

"Go, Lumpy, go!" Cheered the shortest of the trio on stage, a wired looking little boy in a yellow shirt and blue jeans. The three hairs on his head were casually flipped over his head, so that he may coach his champion without distraction.

While the big one in the green jacket continued to gorge himself, the third boy in the loose orange shirt, purple shorts, and odd black beanie showed great concern for his friend's well being. "Good Lord, man, slow down! You're going to get a horrible case of brain freeze!" The short one only smiled and patted the lummox on the back.

"You need a brain to get brain freeze, Double D. Ed's fine."

"Heh heh! Yeah!" Ed abruptly stopped his eating to laugh stupidly and let melted ice and flavor drip from his mouth, disgusting his more cleanliness obsessed companion. "Free snow cones, Eddy!"

"Keep eating!"

"Oh, huh huh, right!" and he plummeted face first back into his work, Double D shaking his head in shame for exploiting his friend like this.

Quite a distance away, behind one of the few tents already set up, a flash of light was seen, and in a way heard with its loud accompanied boom. No one paid mind to it, luckily, so the three figures in hiding could peek at the stage without any suspicion, for now. The three heads that poked out stood behind each other according to height: a small boy with glasses, a copper colored robot with a lazy expression, and a buff, grizzly man with a futuristic, spandex suit and goggles.

"All right, kid." Huffed the large man. "Where is Freak. E. Zoid?"

"I told you!" Cried the small child with his hoarse, shrill voice. He was a scrawny kid, with an old, worn blue shirt and brown shorts, but he was even scrawnier when he lived at the orphanage. "I lived before this time, I have no idea what happens here."

"No worries, Otto." Assured the slightly effeminate robot as he opened up a screen on his wrist. "I can handle this. Let me see." He pressed some buttons to activate a few pictures and text to appear before him. "Hm, a bizarre lad, shouldn't be too hard to find." He shared the picture of the Freak with his comrades, then flipped his wrist back closed. "All we have to do is find him and convince him to enter and win this snow cone eating contest."

"It's go time!" shouted the burly man, putting one fist into the other palm. "Persuasion, I love this part of the job."

"Easy, big guy." Otto uttered with a lowering hand gesture to calm his guardian down.

"We need to find him first, Tudrussle." The robot pointed out with a snide tone. "Besides, it's not so much that Mr. Freakzoid has to win, but that those boys can't." He glanced over at the Eds, his chums turning their heads the same way.

"Oh, c'mon, Larry. How could winning a snow cone contest affect history that much?" Otto remarked, unconvinced.

"I'm surprised, you of all people should think of the possibilities. There's prize money involved! And what if one of those boys is to grow up to be a power hungry mad man?" Larry lectured.

"Good point." Otto replied, holding his chin with interest.

"So I can just beat up the kids?" the big oaf suggested.

"Absolutely not!" shouted the boy and robot in unison.

xXx

In the somewhat quiet land of Nevermore, atop a hill on a quiet night, an old mansion of a house sits quietly still, while a little girl with yellow hair and a black dress shrieks something out her window to an awkward man in a hood about a chainsaw.

"Why won't you leave me alone you creepy, disgusting, suggestive, ugly, perverted, hair sniffin', brain infected, stupid, stupid headed, button eyed, stupid, stupid head?! You can't take a HINT!" She went on and on shouting these insults, getting less and less rational and more and more disgusting and crazy. The girl's eyes were maddening, but not necessarily beautiful. Not to mention she reeked of graveyard and had the complexion worse than a vampire's. She was about ten years old, or at least so suggests her figure, but being a zombie keeps you around for a while.

"Len-ore!" Whined one of her dollies, standing on the toy chest by the window. He was a strange looking plush, one of a kind, having gray limbs, no fingers, black and white stripes along the torso, worms for hair, and fangs. He probably hated Lenore's admirer more than she does, and was itching to go down there and teach him a lesson, AGAIN. It seemed that no matter how many times they killed Mr. Gosh, he always came back to stalk Lenore. "Let me have the chainsaw, I have better aim!"

"Shhhh!" She silenced him loudly and obnoxiously, leaning closer to him with eyes shifting toward the window. "I'm bluffing, Ragamuffin! The chainsaw has no gas."

"Ugh!" Ragamuffin buried his stuffed head in his stuffed hands; oh how he wished his fangs weren't stuffed as well.

"Not to worry though, I called someone."

"What? Who?"

"I don't know, I forgot what the number was and where I found it." She chimed as she innocently shrugged.

"We're going to have to search your head for worms again."

"But I remember what we talked about. This business is legit, my friend, oh so legit."

"Do you know what legit means?" Ragamuffin pried with narrowed eyes.

"Uh, no, but they says they can kill any body, and forever too!"

"Killing someone forever, wow." The doll shook his head. But then again, that's exactly the problem they were having. "So, what, you hired a hit-man? Where'd you find the money?"

"Under an old floorboard, this house is packed with goodies! We should spring clean more often, like this one time, I found a—."

"Later, kid, later. Please." Ragamuffin was in no mood for idiocy. "Hey, look out there. That your hit-man?"

"Ooooo." Lenore spotted the blue man with the crazy lightning hair and the red tights stomp over to Mr. Gosh, who was still serenading her with a horribly out of tune and rotting guitar. He was so preoccupied he didn't even notice the super powered teen standing right above him. When he finally did notice the dim shadow that hung over him during the moonlit hours, he looked up slowly and cautiously.

"Oh! Hello my good fellow," Mr. Gosh said with one of the creepiest of voices. "Just singing to my woman here. Ahh, such a beaut—EGH!" Mr. Gosh wore an ascot, an old, fairly fancy red suit, and most obvious a brown hood that covered his entire head. It is a mystery how he is able to see, being that there were no holes, but in fact giant buttons for eyes. The Freakazoid had a fist clenched tightly around the man's neck, the decomposing guitar shattering as it fell to the ground. "I say! This, egh, is, ehhhhhg, is most uncomfortable, is something—" The poor, creepy thing didn't have time to finish his question.

Freak had punched him, and punched him hard, and sent him flying through the air. The gazes of Lenore and Ragamuffin watched intently, and were quite entertained, not further explaining how they got popcorn so quickly, along with hot nachos. While still in midair, Freak shot off at lightning speed to grab him by the collar, then slam him back down to earth 50 feet, then going so far into earth, he went 6 feet and beyond. Even so, he was not done. He landed next to the hole, pulled a jackhammer from behind his back, and jumped straight in with it going at full power. A few seconds later he came back out, throwing jack hammer and construction worker's helmet aside, he sped off to town, another few seconds passing by, then coming back with cans of flammable liquids, throwing them down the hole, and throwing down a few matches with them. A few booms were heard, and after that, Freak came back from no where with a cement truck, pouring a ton of quick drying cement over Gosh's new grave. He dusted his hands off, and ran away, making a whooshing sound and putting his hands in the air.

"Wow, he's good. A bit over done, but good." Lenore commented, sipping a cola. "That shoulda killed him dead, huh?"

"Ya know, he might have actually done it. Surely Gosh couldn't have—" the doll was interrupted by a muffled groan that he perceived was from below the ton of concrete, and he did less than savor it. He himself groaned and stormed off, ready to go buy gas for the chainsaw.

"I want my money back!" shouted Lenore.

xXx

Hoax wandered the labyrinth of halls for some time, scratching his head like an ape. He looked around nervously as he passed every corner, with a simple, brown, cardboard box under his left arm, which he held very carefully as if it were made of glass. He didn't want to be caught by a guard, not really wanting an unnerving escort to the lab on a regular basis, and he certainly didn't want Mr. Big to see him on the video cameras as he bumbled around the base without a clue where he was going, again.

"Forgot where the lab was?" The voice behind him made him jump, but only because it pierced the eerie silence so suddenly. Hoax turned around to face Dr. Pry with his silly grin and a flushed face. "Specs is right about one thing, you're too lazy to memorize the maze?" She added while her smile grew all the more snooty.

"I guess I don't have to today." He commented stupidly. "I believe you and Mr. Uptight wanted these." He immediately switched to a sly and mischievous tone, opening the cardboard box for her to see his two latex gloves, or so they seemed. "Mr. Fenton's hair was still singed, so I had no trouble asking permission to more closely examine his forehead."

"No suspicions, then?"

"Oh, very suspicious. He wasn't quite his calm self today, a great deal of tension. I think today was as good as any for a check up, I suspect he knows a little something."

"And the timed sedative?"

"Should be kicking in by now, and he'll be out for a full day and a half. That should give you plenty of time to analyze the brain waves scanned and copied in the secret chips inside the gloves. I tell ya, it's a whole lot easier than bringing them in for questioning." Hoax chuckled, putting his free hand in his pocket. Pry made a barely distinct cringe. The way Hoax spoke never pleased the other scientists; he was far too casual for their tastes. Plus, he didn't even know that much about medicine beyond a high-schooler. He was mainly picked for his job for his uncanny ability to trick children into taking his side.

"Very good, Jeffy. At least you can do some things right." Miss Pry accepted the box and was once again on her way toward the lab, actually knowing the path expertly, a gleam in her teeth. She had predictions of what she would find in these chips already buzzing in her head, mostly of a certain nuisance who had to be stealing their secrets for some reason or another. "Let's see if ectoplasm is thicker than water."

xXx

Hi! Bye! (hopefully not for long this time)

-Darkness


	10. Fired Up

**BarkingPup**: That he is, that he is.  
**Coppa-Cola**: I'll try to name them all in the last chapter, but I may forget a lot by then. I tend to torture the characters I like.

Ch. 10: Fired Up

In a large, cold, dull grey prison yard, with walls blocking out the shining sun, or at least mostly, the shadows of barbed wire were falling on the farthest wall and a wide selection of criminals. One in particular sat on a stone bench bent over a crumpled piece of paper and a pencil in dire need of sharpening. Besides looking a little jaundice, the man was a fine specimen, with chiseled features, a great mental capacity, a melodious voice, and was a regular acrobat. How a person with so much potential can fall into such a place as this is a story no one would believe, even after given so many chances to redeem himself outside in the real world. He was once again regarded as having good behavior at this penitentiary, so given the freedom to see the light of day, though doubtful he would be allowed to see much of it.

Another man entered the yard, instantly spotting the former's perfectly shaped, palm tree-esq, red hair, and making a sly smirk. This one had similar, reddish blonde hair, only much shorter, along with fairly equal eloquence and malice. He meandered to the redhead's side, a bit disappointed he wasn't able to cast his shadow all dramatic like. The red haired man stopped suddenly, and without looking up, tightened his grip on the pencil, but not too much to make it snap, for it took three days to get this pencil.

"I was told that they would keep us in separate facilities." The first man growled in his deep, sinister voice. "To prevent us from conspiring, as if I would bother."

"Yes, well, a fluke they will soon fix. They tend to move me around every couple of months, so I cannot memorize any building's structure. Apparently I'm considered more of a threat." The other explained with a bit of boastfulness. He enjoyed the twisted anger in his big brother's face as the heavy head turned to look him in the eye.

"More of a threat? Oh please, how many times have you held a machete to some one's throat?" he asked sardonically as he placed the pencil and delicately folded paper in his shoe.

"How many times were you man enough to lunge it into something other than a photo?"

"Shut up, Cecil."

"That all you can say? How about telling me how the family is? I never got one phone call to Mom and Dad, and speaking of Dad, is he here too? Speak to Francesca in a while? How about Gino?"

"I said shut up!" Cecil's brother stood up suddenly, anger flashing in his face in an instant, but he was one to quickly regain his composure.

"What were you working on anyway?" Cecil prodded. The criminal was getting very tired very fast of his little brother's questions.

"If you must know, I'm working on my memoirs." He replied with a tint of pride, something Cecil will quickly try and steal.

The brother snickered. "Oh yes, I'm sure. I'm very sure everyone will rush to read about your inability to kill a ten year old brat."

"There has been more to my journey to this hell-hole than that wretched little boy! Besides, you couldn't kill him either."

"In my defense that was your fault. But, I'll humor you. Name one thing."

"It's really none of your business." He turned to storm away, but the brother placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You know, Robert," Cecil looked around to make sure no other convicts or guards were close, again an attempt to be dramatic. "When you've met as many low lives as I have, you learn quite a bit about the underground workings of society. You overhear something about someone fixing a big game, a complex smuggling ring, or perhaps something much more."

"Get to the point."

"Much quicker than you ever will, Bob." He snickered again. "Anyway, I've made a few connections, and even from the inside, you can make a certain phone call that could end your little problem. Can you think of it? Once you're released outside again, which you probably will thanks to the family charm, you don't have to pursue the object that drives you so fervently mad. No more obsession, no more failure, no more Bart Simpson." Robert glared at his brother and pondered the idea for some time, but threw his hand and his offer aside.

"Absolutely not. A hit-man may get the job done, but will he savor it, will he relish in victory? No, I must be the one to carry such a deed to completion. I want to be there and watch his eyes glaze over. I want the image of him drowning in his own blood to burn into my mind. I want to see it, I want to finish it!" Cecil was disappointed, and the smirk he had kept disappeared, but he let his homicidal brother go. He told himself that it would never happen, that Robert will forever be the insane one who's only destiny is to drag his family down with him, but as a vicious sibling who enjoys the rivalry, Cecil will gladly let his brother's nightmares continue to haunt him. No skin off his nose, though he considered going against his brother's wishes.

xXx

Grass was running low, even the brittle brown blades; Cow wasn't sure how much more of this she could stand. She'd spend the long, grueling hours peering around the mountain, craving pork butts and taters, and letting her tongue hang out from her horribly dry throat. She very much wanted to go home, but she could never convince herself to leave her post. She was determined to save lives, especially that of her "fwiend". Her suffering lead to inattention, and she near collapsed under the shade of the mountain, but the vision of men approaching reawakened her senses. She did not try to run, for at first she saw them as mere mirages, but when they were groping her neck and back, she couldn't hold back a "moo".

"Nope, no hidden camera. This is just a stupid animal." Commented one of the men.

"Not for long, she'll be buzzard food in a few hours if she stays here."

"She'll be buzzard food regardless. She's come a long way."

"Stupid cow, look at the mess you got into." The second soldier laughed. "You sure walked a long way to die."

"Hey, check this out, I've always wanted to do this." The first soldier approached Cow once more, his fingers twitching mischievously. Cow took one step back, feeling so painfully awkward. The man placed his hands on her side, then tipped her over with ease. Cow moaned pitifully as she fell to the ground, the impact making a big "fwoom" as dust rose around her. Her legs kicked to get back up, and she mooed her complaint of being such a sorry victim.

"Heh, awesome, man" Said his partner. As they stood over the seemingly helpless creature, they began to chat like she never existed. "By the way, speaking of stupid, you weren't at lunch today, didja hear 'bout one of the recruits?"

"What's that?" the first one asked, dusting off his gloves.

"Some juicy excitement, that's what. The scientists developed this new technology, or whatever, to read the kids' minds. And get this, one of the kids actually knew everything!" Cow's eyes widened. "For a few days too! It was the ghost kid, yeah. He told the others too, and they've been planning an assault on the Black Building."

"No way, idiots, what do they think they can accomplish?"

"I know, but they plan to attack tomorrow, while the ghost kid, their mini leader, is completely out of it. Tranquilized. How funny is that?"

"Funny, but sad. So, everyone's on duty tomorrow?"

"You bet! We're about to get some action! Hell, we might have to kill one of them."

"Finally," they both started back for the mountain. "You know I haven't been sent on a single mission since the capture of the Freakazoid fella? It wasn't even that challenging."

"Bummer."

_Oh no! I gotta tell Vlad!_ Cow once again struggled to get back on her feet, and once she finally did, she looked back at the mountain with terror in her tired eyes. To avoid suspicion, she slowly ventured away from the shade, the speed of an average, starving cow, and behind the biggest, closest rock she could find. Once safely out of sight, she stood on her hind legs and let her chest heave in and out very heavily, her ears pinned down and her heart almost stopping. She never thought seriously about how she would eventually have to do this! She looked down at something she had hidden under the rock some days ago, an old, scratchy, smelly green blanket, which she now pulled close to her and clutched it for dear life. Then, after some mental preparation, a huff of breath with an attitude, she tied the blanket around her neck like a cape, which triggered a flash of light.

The scared wittle cow was no more. Her front hooves held on her hips, wrapped in purple spandex (with holes for her udders) and a yellow triangle with a red "C" on her chest, and a determined expression, she became SuperCow.

"SuperCow, ARISCATE!" She flew off like lightning, too fast for the cameras to detect.

xXx

Yet another normal day in the neighborhood, Jenny stepped outside, trying to hide her cautiousness. She was the first one out of her quarters, everyone else still in their beds pondering about the files they had read. The group had stayed together the day before after they were assured Danny was in no danger, popped in another sci-fi dvd, and continued reading about themselves. Danny had fallen asleep, so they let themselves out, taking good care of the papers. Burning those documents felt like burning the Bible; they would have been overcome with hurt had they not remembered a thing. Almost half of their memories were restored, and they found that during sleep they only came faster, so they would lie awake in their beds, begging to fall back in dream land. Sadly, they would have to get up.

Jenny was prepared to once again act like nothing had happened, but the vision of the next day came so very clear, it was hard to concentrate. Tomorrow they shall launch their attack, and if all goes well, within an hour of the battle they would be home with their families, showered with hugs and kisses, and the nightmare would be over. Her lips twitched into a smile on that note, and she pushed herself forward to Danny's door. Her thoughts now on the ghost boy, she wondered what life would be like when they were both out of the Community. Would they stay friends? Would they ever see each other again?...Did he have a girlfriend? She quickly realized these questions were irrelevant, it's not the time to think about such things. Besides, after going through so much, of course they would stay friends. And they had superpowers; they could fly to each other. These questions were nothing of concern, she knew they had to take one step at a time. They still had a mad king to overthrow before they could dwell on any happily ever after.

She made her cheerful knock at the door, smoothed her dress, then waited for an answer. She knew Danny might not particularly like waking up so early, but she doubted he would mind. She went over what the "normal" plan for the day was, first they would check on the movie theatre (maybe watch a movie if it's actually up), a walk in the park, and maybe lunch at the fast food place. Yep, twas a plan, not a date at all.

She found it unnerving that he was taking so long to answer, perhaps he was a little cranky this morning. Hesitant, she made herself knock again. This made her feel very uncomfortable, now thinking herself rude. But then she raised an eyebrow when he still didn't answer. Now she was just worried.

"Danny! You awake yet?" Nothing. "Hello? May I come in?" Nothing. She then had that protective feeling she had when Danny sounded so hoarse. Placing all concerns regarding manners aside, she let herself in yet again, a sigh of relief seeing Danny asleep on the couch. "Get up sleepy head, it's unhealthy to sleep all day…I think." She strolled by the couch, poking him in the arm. "Danny, c'mon, we have to lead a normal day…Danny?" She stood dead still for a few minutes, once again able to give a "phew" when she noticed a gentle rise and fall in Danny's chest.

With the utmost carefulness, she got a glass of water and splashed it on his face, and still got nothing. Her expression was perplexed as well as worried, and she gathered something wasn't quite right. "Sorry to have to do this, Danny." Raising her right hand, then bringing it down swiftly over his face, her efforts still earned nothing. Danny was out cold. A million thoughts ran through her mechanical head, and it processed the worst possible answer. The soft look on Danny's face, the limpness in his arms, the breathing rate, all attributes matched one mental image she wish she no longer had in her mind. In place of Danny on the couch, she imagined an unconscious Zim in her arms. "…A sedative…they know."

xXx

"Someone control these dogs!" Jack shouted, holding back a few himself.

"They wouldn't be so crazy if a few CATS in the area would do us the favor of staying on the other side of the island!" Aang hollered back, giving a dirty look at the three anthros in red, white, and blue armor.

"Well, excuse us." Speedy, the leader of the bunch, said dryly.

"Sorry for the commotion, everyone!" the girl cat said sincerely. "Let's go you two," she added as she hooked an arm around her partners. "Honestly, you went through all this trouble to drool over the Starfire chick?" The attack dogs barked more ferociously as the cats escaped, but gradually calmed themselves after some petting and chew toy distractions.

"Get that crap away from me!" Growled a man in a red robe, who happened to have dog ears sitting atop his long white hair. He shoved aside a bone that was given to him, then started pouting childishly. "Don't associate me with these mutts."

"Will you please all SETTLE DOWN?!" ordered the vampiric ghost who hovered over all. However, his soldiers were too busy mingling and bickering with each other to notice, which drove the attention hungry business man very mad. His partner Jack did the best he could on the ground, but Vlad was about to blast this entire place to smithereens just to spite. No one ignores him and gets away with it!

He slapped his face and rubbed his temples in agitation, starting to regret ever turning good, but a horrid shriek pierced the sky and everyone's ears. He found himself envious of Cow's voice, because everyone paid attention to her message.

"AYEAYEAYEAYEAYEAYEAYE!" She crashed into the island, dust rising all around, and everyone backing away in awe. They were told that if a flying cow ever came, it meant that war was imminent, and here they were, staring at the face of war. SuperCow kept her battle ready stance and demeanor as Vlad landed in front of her, eyes narrowed and ears open. Knowing that not all here can understand Spanish, SuperCow decided to transform back to Cow, and by doing so, she lost all poise. She broke to tears.

"They know, they know!" She cried, her commander prepared to hear such a report. The army on the other hand started whispering amongst themselves, "this is it", "here it comes", and "no turning back now". "But, the childwen don't know that they know, they were able to read minds!" Vlad's brows furrowed, not expecting this additional information. "And worse, ohhhhmooooooooo, things only get worse. I heard them say they might kill one of them, mooooo. And, and Danny. The wittle ghost boy. They said that Danny is asleep, very asleep, defenseless!" This bulletin made Vlad scowl darkly, the cowards drugged Daniel? "And—and the kids were planning their own attack, TOMORROW!"

_Planning an attack?_ Vlad thought, clenching his fists with frustration. _Those kids are asking for an ass kicking._

The other soldiers voices rose with excitement and fear, but Vlad silenced them with a flat hand raised high. Cow broke into sobs on the ground, Vlad's eyes becoming half lidded with pity, and his body floating upward.

"Very good, Cow. But please, stand up and get ready to fight." He stated. Cow wiped away her tears, rose slowly, and retied her blanket around her neck. Vlad faced the majority of the super powered crowd, turning slightly toward each group during his speech, speaking with ferocity and superiority. "Men, women, along with all present creatures, it is the time we must put our differences and quarrels aside. The time we've spent together has been hectic and miserable, but, we have been gathered for a reason. We must stop this Community from gathering us and those like us, and using the essences of noble living things to do unthinkable, villainous deeds. Who's to say they would not come after some of you, if that is one of your concerns, but our main purpose is to abolish this evil. We are here because we believe we were meant to make this world a better place, and I think we all agree, the world could do without Mr. Big and his capital idea of turning children into MUDERERS!"

His followers gazed up at him with much respect, faces transforming into those of unwavering warriors. The heart of a hero rising in all of them. The majestic spirit of the dying breed, the hero acclaimed for the noble sacrifices, intuition for right and wrong, known for defending the weak and upholding justice, and classic catch phrases, they were reminded that this was what they were born to do.

"I implore all who care to listen: recognize who the enemy is here, and swear that this mad man falls! May he not claim another life, OR ANOTHER CHILD'S INNOCENCE! Heroes…UNITE!"

An uproar of enthusiastic battle cries rose over the island as a multitude of the sun's rays pierced through the clouds and shone in their already bright, twinkling eyes.


	11. The Beginning of the End

**BarkingPup**: Good to hear! ;) I like TV.  
**Kraven the Hunter**: I value your input, and I mostly put those characters in for my own amusement (if it's any consolation, they're more like cameos than characters), but I wanted to make the biggest crossover ever. Yes, it's getting pretty chaotic, and I'm very sorry if some of you don't like it that way, but I thought it would be fun for the most part. Hope you'll continue to read, and again I apologize for the insanity.

Ch. 11: The Beginning of the End

A soft snicker of a child and the closing of a window could be barely heard during the serene night of this strange little town. The boy was probably around the 4th or 5th grade, wearing a red t-shirt and blue shorts, yellow hair rough and spiky, and carrying a bucket of live cockroaches. He swung to the tree branch closest to his window, like the mischievous monkey he is, then slowly lowered himself to the ground minding the sound he makes and the steps he takes, not wanting to be caught or break his skull. He landed on the fresh grass with a soft thud, then scampered off into the night to locate his accomplices and the school principle he very much wanted to prank.

A couple of his insect buddies crawled out of the bucket and escaped every few blocks, but leaving more than enough to make an old man and his mother shriek with terror. Besides the obvious behavior problems, the boy was actually a very nice kid. He had done a lot of bad in his time, but enough good, if not more, to make up for any of his deeds. From reuniting parents with their children to working for the mob to foiling insidious plots, he was regarded as a hero as well as a brat that needed to fade away from society. Sarcasm constantly dripped off of his words, but strictly for playful matters. His eyes were bright and hopeful for the future, anything that he should be scared of hidden in the farthest corner in his mind. Those fears, unfortunately, rose and surrounded him, once he felt the paranoia of being followed.

He whipped around, losing a couple more cockroaches with the motion, then scanned the area for spies. He could have sworn he heard a leaf rustle or a gush of wind that went before it came. He squinted his eyes with suspicion, but saw and heard nothing, so resumed his midnight stroll. Whether he heard anything or not, he turned around every couple blocks to make sure. When something didn't feel quite right, he quickened his pace and ducked behind a bush momentarily. If not a precaution, it may have been play, pretending to be a soldier.

The boy found himself at the lake, the power plant peaking over the horizon. Emerging from yet another bush, he stood atop the steep slope that led to the murky, mysterious waters. He stopped because he thought he saw a splash, now only seeing the ripple. Whatever it was, it must have been a big fish, but as he turned he saw something rise from the corner of his eye. Taking a double take he saw a child standing right in the middle of the lake, covered with mud, and blazing eyes burning through that mud to stare soullessly back. The boy was now in a horror movie.

He grunted as he felt a hard push from behind, losing his precious bugs and tumbling down the bank into the unforgiving rocks and sludge. He would have screamed, but he wasn't sure what to believe, what just happened? He looked behind him to see another child, same burning eyes, who then tackled him with a force inhuman. It's like she floated toward him like a ghost, and hit him like a ton of bricks.

"Who-who are you?" the boy bravely asked, comparing these children's challenge to a playground tussle. He was given no reply, unless one counts the gush of wind. He looked up to see the third child standing back at the slope, same burning eyes, but with horns.

He was pushed further into the water, toward the first girl, then pushed quickly back to the second. "Whoa! Hey man, what do you think you're doing?!" They were toying with him, they were picking at his fear. They could have made it quick, but the instructions were to make this look like an accident. It's highly unlikely that a boy would burst into flames or have a truck fall on him, but drowning? Unfortunately, possible. "Stop it, stop it!" He half growled, have squeaked, never meeting a child smaller than him that could push him so easily, and so far! He prepared to make his own fists fly, but conflicted to hit a girl.

He was now covered with mud, as were the two sisters who continued to play their game of pass. To the boy's surprise, and relief, they eventually stopped, then parted. But then all his hopes of winning this fight were thrown aside, when the child with horns rose from the bank, and glided over the surface of the water like a paper airplane. She floated just above him, letting him realize who here was going to die. "You…can fly?..." His scream was cut short by a sharp splash; the girl made a dive, and took him with her.

Now in the deepest and darkest of the waters, all the boy could see were three pairs of burning eyes piercing through the depths. Big gulps of air shot from his mouth, colliding with his attacker's face, yet had no effect. She held him to the floor, both hands on his shoulders, as he tried to tear them away. The sisters were watching intently, as if taking mental notes, if anything of the mental variety were possible in the minds of brainwashed assassins. One of them felt the pulse of another in the water, and turned around to meet a three eyed fish, her own eyes widening and bubbles flying from her mouth. The surprise brought out the familiar, animal enthusiast ideas that this formerly sweet girl cared so very much about.

The boy's vision was getting blurrier and darker by the second, his arms no longer wading and hands no longer clawing. His bright, pleading eyes moving nothing in the hollow shell of the girl with horns, he let himself slip into the comforting realm of unconsciousness. The last thing he saw was his attacker's eyes suddenly shutting and mouth letting out a silent scream as she was struck by a brilliant blue light.

xXx

"He moved!" "Quiet, quiet, give him some space." "Are you sure he's ok?" "Why don't you ask him?" "I said quiet!"

"Ohhh…" the boy had coughed up the last of the water in his lungs, and though he couldn't see just yet, he instinctively used his arms to back up then clutch a tree trunk for dear life. He was cleaned up a little, like he was quickly rinsed with lake water and dried by wind, but his clothes were wrinkled and he was still shivering from cold and fright. He felt woozy and feverish, and when he opened his eyes the world was spinning. He could however easily make out the girl with horns, who slapped a hand over his mouth when he weakly shrieked with terror.

"It's ok, it's ok, calm down!" she failed to console. He let go of the trunk to latch onto her wrist and attempt to pull her off, but she had an iron grip. He froze, given time to settle, allowing him to notice that they weren't horns, but a far less intimidating red bow. All three pairs of burning eyes were now as bright an innocent as his own, reflecting the moon.

"Don't worry, kid, everything's fine now." The girl in green intruded, their former victim poorly convinced.

"We're very sorry." Said the girl in blue softly, unable to look at him. She wrung her hands shamefully, staring at the ground. "We'll never hurt you again."

Just then, all three ascended slowly away from him, giving one last inspection for injuries, then shot to the sky like blue, red, and green comets in reverse. They left the boy still stunned and trembling, but they could do no more. He had to figure what the heck just happened, and if it really did happen, on his own.

"What do we do, where do we go?" Bubbles piped nervously, her sisters unable to respond for some time. "Do we hide? Do we go back to the Community?" It's not like there was any place they could hide, or they knew where the Community was.

"We keep flying, see what happens." Blossom decided. It wasn't much of a plan, but no one else had an idea. But, their fates were decided for them. As an invisible wave traveled through the air and hit their ears, their eyes suddenly changed back into their empty, emotionless orbs. They lost control of their muscles, and were led safely back to the murderous dome mountain, into their dead quiet neighborhood, into their warm beds, like nothing ever happened. Their mission was put off for another day.

xXx

"Aw, great, what is this?" growled a burly guard, picking up a chewed through coil to more closely examine. He was sent to assist Dr. Specs with keeping him awake, and after a few hours of doing nothing but fetching coffee, he grew bored and began rummaging through the lab like a toddler in a supermarket. "One a yer dirty lab rats break out and had a little fun?" Specs, surprisingly, became immediately defensive, taking it as a personal insult.

"They're mice, and the cleanest things in this place!" Not anything close to an animal lover, his lab mice were the only creatures he could honestly tolerate. He cared more for them than any human.

"Sheesh, touchy." The guard let it go and resumed his wandering, while Specs decided to get something else done as his screen was taking forever to load, again.

"Hey, Thomas." Specs gently nudged the heavily sleeping cat with his shoe, and became very irritated when he didn't show a sign of acknowledgement. "Get up, you lazy, good for nothing furball!" He nearly kicked Tom, which got the desired response. The grey cat with white paws, tail tip, and nose quickly got on his feet, as if standing at attention. "Some rat is loose," Specs told him, assuming the animal knew English. "Get to work, before I have you neutered." Thomas rolled his eyes and started to creep around the building, listening intently for squeaks in the walls and peering around for furry objects scurrying across the floor.

Meanwhile, with his mind still on it, Specs decided to feed his mice. He selected some pellets from a cabinet and placed them in their food bowl, then closed their cage and retreated to his computer. All of the rodents were albino except for one, and that one in particular was not satisfied with mere pellets. A tiny brown mouse gazed at a mini fridge across the room, and dreamt of the wonders it would hold. Unlike the others, this one was much more perceptive, and after watching his master do it so for so long, he was able to open the cage himself.

Once free, leaving his brethren behind, he gradually made his way toward the treasure chest just out of reach. He had to jump pretty far to make it from lab table to lab table, and he over estimated his abilities, and underestimated the smoothness of the table tops. He just barely hung on to the edge of the last table before the fridge, finding it difficult to give his other paw a solid grip. His determination was only misplaced, however, when he felt a tickle on his back. He turned his head to find the whiskers (and the giant, yellow eyes) of the cat he had failed to notice also occupied this domain.

The chase was on, swerving around equipment skidding at corners, knocking over beakers, squeezing into dark and cramped, then dusty spaces. The mouse eventually found a hole in the wall, which he instantly used to his advantage. Tom ran head first into the hole, obviously unable to fit, but blinded by fury. When the cat is outsmarted by the mouse, he cannot help but attempt to go to extreme lengths to save his pride, never admitting defeat and stopping at nothing. The cat reached a single paw through the hole and pawed around for several minutes, and snarled when he found nothing. He paced up and down that wall like a tiger in a cage, waiting for something, anything to crawl out that he may pounce on.

His ears twitched when he heard a scratching of metal, and he found himself crouched next to the opening yet again. He pointed his ears forward and waited for the sound again, and when it hit him, he struck his paw as fast as lightning, grabbing the tail of the unsuspecting rodent. He then grinned and yanked on the tail, causing a thump and a yelp. The cat gained a perplexed expression when it was revealed that the tail he had grabbed looked nothing like that of a mouse. For one, it had red fur, not brown, was a bit furrier than the wiry one he was chasing, and it was five times as long.

"Excuse me, good Sir." Tom looked around to find the source of the sound, but when the gentleman made a coughing noise to get his attention, he discovered that the speaker was at the end of this tail. "Could you let go of that, please?" Tom politely complied, then stepped slowly away from the wall, then stood frozen. "Thank you, sorry for the mix up." Thomas sat, scratched his head, then decided it was best that he brush it off, and go back to sleep.

xXx

"Come in, quickly." Jenny motioned all of her neighbors inside Danny's house; sadly the true host was still out cold. She had gathered them all for hopefully not their last meeting, informing them all that their cover was indefinitely blown. They took their seats, and when the door was completely closed, the panic ensued.

"I told you it was a stupid idea!" Buttercup spat. "Doing nothing, what were we thinking? Now let's just do what we should have done a long time ago, blow that building to smithereens!" Her sisters had other concerns.

"Is Danny ok?" Bubbles asked cautiously, looking over at the boy on the couch.

"He's fine, just asleep." Jenny assured, running her hand through his raven black hair. "But I don't know how we're going to go through with this."

"Hey, give us a little credit." Dexter piped in. "We can be just as good leaders as Casper there."

"One thing's for sure," Dex added. "We can't sit around anymore. They're going to be coming for us, so we'll have to come for them." It was a surprisingly grim comment, at least from Dex, but all too true. "And we can't leave him alone, so he'll have to come with us."

"I'll carry him." Jenny suggested, new mechanical appendages sprouting from her back. She constructed a comfortable chair, complete with safety belts, and she reached her extendable arms backwards to place the ghost boy in said chair, his back touching hers..

"Wow, that works." Conan commented. "But when we enter battle, you'll have to be extremely careful."

"Don't worry, I will."

"There's one more problem, though." Blossom reminded. "We have no idea how this building is laid out."

"Why would we need to know the layout? We just shoot it on the outside!" Buttercup decided.

"Don't you think that the office that holds the man who controls us all would have a few shields up?" Blossom retorted back, which silenced her sister. But speaking of this man brought back a horrible possibility. "Oh-Oh no, he controls us! We can't just barge in, if he sees us he'll just take over our minds, and make us do who knows what!"

"So this needs to be a sneak attack." Conan concluded. "Would have been nice to have the ghost awake, he could make us invisible or something."

"Ah! I have the solution!" Dexter beamed. "I can build an invention that shall give us temporary invisibility! Not to mention I can create some devices that will cancel out our captor's mind control, but, we would still have to take caution. It's doubtful it will work if we stand close to him."

"Why's all that junk gotta be temporary?" Buttercup dared to ask.

"Had I the time, it wouldn't be, but time isn't something we have."

"He's right." Jenny agreed. "And considering our odds, that gives us a much better advantage."

"Any more input? Because after this is over, we're going home, one way or another." Conan looked over his friends, all but one were ready to charge. It was uplifting to hear a guaranteed victory, but they knew this was never going to be easy.

"I'm not going without Mr. Spongey!" Bubbles declared.

xXx

The girl in blue threw open the double doors with such force, they broke. It was no longer the time to be considerate. She was given five minutes to find her "sponge friend" and get out. She made a mad dash toward the aquarium, and then a dive.

"Mr. Spongey, Mr. Spongey!" She cried, her words a bit gurgled since spoken under water. "I have no time to explain, but we have to get out of here, absorb all the water you can, right now!" She gave the motionless bottom feeder a few moments to…sit. "Fine, I'll try to explain. Mr. Big, you know? He's evil! And we're going to destroy this place then go home! Our real home, the world isn't as horrible as we think it is! You see, we've been brain washed, and--" She paused, as if hearing a reply. "What's wrong?...Huh? What, you knew?!" She grabbed her friend and held "him" to her ear. "Why didn't you tell me?...Uh huh?...Uh huh? Despicable!" She huffed, bubbles coming out of her mouth. "Well, don't worry, Mr. Spongey. I won't let him hurt you. We're all going home." She pocketed the sponge then joined the brigade, with another reason to put her sweet and sensitive qualities aside, and let the rage flow.

xXx

"Make sure your ear buds are secure." Dexter advised, everyone adjusting the tiny machines. "Wouldn't want those to fall out." Everyone stood at the plaza, during the wait, destroying the camera and loud speaker out of spite.

"We're good. Now, everyone know when they should activate your cloaking devices?" Dex asked, referring to the steel bands on their left arms.

"At the gate. Got it." Conan said. "And when we are invisible, stay together, or at least try to. Keep your eyes on the ground for foot prints. This might be tough. We'll stay invisible for ten minutes, so it's possible someone might get lost."

"I have heat vision." Jenny reminded. "If I see someone venturing from the group, I'll whisper a warning, but there's no telling what I'll be able to do if there are a bunch of guards around, or if we have to break apart."

"Let's get this over with." Buttercup growled, eager to fight, and not very keen to sneak attacks.

So the group took to the skies, the powerpuffs first, Bubbles carrying Conan and Buttercup carrying Dex. Dexter pushed a button on a backpack he wore, which turned to shreds as mechanical arms and legs plucked him off the ground, easy to handle controls folding in front of him. He activated his rocket jets to catch up. Jenny avoided taking the front lines, more worried about putting Danny in danger than anything else.

When they made it to the gate, all was eerily quiet, not another life form in sight. They expected an army of soldiers to be guarding the entrance, didn't they suspect they were coming? The children knew there was no time to think about that, so flipped switches on their arm bands, which then of course made them invisible to the naked eye.

"We're going in." Dex whispered, an attempt to sound cool.

A powerpuff bent the bars apart with ease, allowing their troop entry. They tiptoed slowly toward the front door, afraid to stumble over each other. Since Blossom was in front, everyone assumed she would take on the role to break down the door, but they were surprised yet again. The door was already open.

They stayed very quiet, going down the single hall that twisted in front of them. Too afraid to speak, the children could only peer around suspiciously, itching to confide in the others why no one was around that could possibly discover them. Never seeing the inside of this building before, they expected a ton of people around every corner, but there was no one to be found. They noticed cameras in the ceilings, however, which made them feel slightly less silly to go through the trouble to become invisible. Every now and then, they would come to a fork in the hallway, and someone had to be brave and whisper hoarsely, "This way" after making a decision. Jenny made sure no one separated from the group. Five minutes had gone by, and their minds were put at a chilling ease. This shouldn't be this quiet, they expected to have knocked out a few guards by this point. But even if someone had crossed their path, they wouldn't have bothered. Their target is Mr. Big, no distractions.

Having said that, they heard a scratching of metal that made their spines tingle. Frozen for quite some time, a few of them suspected that they might be alone, the rest of the group not hearing their imagination and moving forward, but it wasn't anyone's imagination. Whatever it was, it was coming closer, scouring the halls like a dog. They heard it more clearly, it was claws tapping on the floor, and a nose sniffing the air. All (or at least all who needed to) made a heavy breath when they spotted what had startled them; around the corner came the slender, red-haired rodent.

But still, they didn't make a sound, not wanting anyone's attention. They attempted to go around, but every step that was made caught the attention of the creature. He darted his head toward every sigh, every shift, to the point he stood right below Jenny, debating if that was a snore he detected.

"…I know someone is here." He said clearly, which made everyone jump, proving his theory.

_It talks!_ Was the thought on every mind, except for the sleeping Danny.

"Do not be afraid, I am the ally Vlad spoke of, unless he failed to mention that."

"He-He did." Jenny bravely said. "It's just that…no one ever said you were going to be a squirrel."

"I. M. Weasel."

"Weasel, sorry." Jenny corrected.

"You're invisible, good move, or possibly bad. Is everyone together?" a chorus of "I'm here"s all around. "I was told there were eight. One of you is missing!" He whispered harshly.

"No, no, he's just under a sedative." Jenny explained. Weasel stood on his hind legs, appearing more human. His ears twitched as he heard the gentle snoring of Danny. Jenny thought she would have to explain further, but Weasel seemed to be putting the pieces together on his own.

"I'll guess that this was the Dr.'s doing. So that would give you the reason to be here, you're aware that they've found you out," Weasel pressed, receiving no negative answer. "So you feel that you must take matters into your own hands." He shook his head in disappointment. "What a mess we're in."

"Mr. Weasel," Bubbles intruded. "Aren't there any guards or something around?"

"Of course there are." Weasel replied. "But to put them everywhere would only cause confusion, they plan to let you come to them. There are only two places where they swarm: the office of Mr. Big and…the display room." It hurt to say it, for some reason.

"What is the displ—" Bubbles was interrupted.

"It doesn't matter. The important thing is that you all stay together. Can I stress that enough? None of you should be left alone!" Weasel spoke to the air. At that moment, the ten minutes were up, the invisibility flickered away, and the arm bands became useless. The metal fell to the ground with soft clanks, the now exposed adolescences staring awkward at each other. "I suppose this is a relief, according to my maps, we're past most of the cameras, so all of you just stick close to me, and we'll find Mr. Big, without being caught."

No one could help the feeling that this Weasel could lead them to a trap, his name being Weasel and all, but they decided they didn't have much of a choice. Weasel appeared to know where he was going, his fur sometimes tingling when he didn't feel very right in a certain direction. Like animal instinct, sometimes he would freeze, narrowing his eyes as he stared ahead, and when he was satisfied all was clear he would continue.

"There's a camera over there, it's not pointing at us this moment, so we need to hurry. Go, go." The children did what they were told without question. The animal had a commanding air of respect about him, but a likable one. Once they were safely away from the camera, Weasel twitched and looked around like a wary antelope. "Something's coming."

"How can you tell?" Dexter asked.

"Don't you hear it? Goodness, I—I thought they were staying in those two spots. They must have expected us to be caught by the cameras and shot by the lasers by now. Impatient savages!" Weasel refrained from baring his teeth like a wild animal. "Remember, kids, do not, I repeat, do not separ—"The sound became loud enough for the humanoids weak ears to hear.

"That was either a lot of footsteps at once, or it's about to rain." Conan uttered.

"We can take 'em, c'mon girls." Buttercup was waiting for this moment, and she shot off ahead.

"Wait, Buttercup!" Blossom called after.

"No! Stop! Didn't you hear what I was say—" Weasel was cut short yet again when the other two powerpuffs flew after her. "I told them to stay together!"

"You have to give them a break, Sir." Jenny defended. "They are kindergarteners." Weasel simply sighed and rubbed his temples with his tiny paws.

"What do we do now?" Dexter asked. "Are those stuuuupid girls going to ruin everything?"

"Let's hope not, we're going after them, but for the love of all that is sane, PLEASE stay together!" The rest of the brigade ran after the girls, hearing carnage not very far away. Weasel almost ran with them, but he realized he almost broke that one rule. Dex lingered in the back, frozen in his tracks. Weasel looked around, and saw that the rest had already left. He sighed again. "Children…you love them, but by George, you can never work with them or animals." He turned to Dex who was shaking like a leaf and had an expression as blank as a deer looking at the headlights. "Come on man, what's holding you up?" Dex couldn't move; for the past couple of days he had been at his bravest, but now, staring at the face of danger, he couldn't muster up anything close to courage. It became all too real, he could die.

"I—I can't do it. I can't do it, I thought I was ready, but I'm not!"

"Just calm down, what do you mean? Can't your power stop them?" Weasel assumed, jumping up to him.

"M—maybe, but, but I haven't used it on my own for so long! What if it…wh-what if he…what if he still works for them?" He fell to his knees. "What was I thinking, I'm not cut to save anyone, not even myself!"

"Hold it together, man." Weasel tried to calm him down. "Everything's going to be all right. You're saying you're afraid to use your power?"

"Y-yes." Dex admitted. "There's really, really no telling what could happen."

"I know things look frightening out there, but your friends need you. Sure, there's no telling what could happen, but will any good come out of cowering like this? Sometimes the only thing that you can do is try, heck, I'm going to, and I don't have any powers!" Besides the power to speak, of course, but he didn't think of that as anything spectacular.

"You don't? Then how, why, what—"

"True, I'm only here for my skills with technology, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to at least try and help you kids fight."

"But what if you get shot?!"

"I'll die instantly."

"Oh my God." Dex covered his ears and shut his eyes tight, the cold statement only stressing the importance of not messing up. He didn't want anyone to die today!

"But if I did nothing and lived, only with the guilt that one of you got hurt, well," He closed his eyes as he pictured such a fate. "that would be long four or so years, filled with regret and nightmares." He looked back at the quivering teenager, who only shook more when a second wave of stomping footsteps came from the opposite direction. "I guess you have a choice, man." Weasel stated dryly. "Go down or go down fighting."

Whether or not the boy made a choice, some heroic force was taking hold. "What technology were you sent here to toy with?" Dex questioned, a glow in his eye.

"Well, um, I'm supposed to take down the shield so that Mr. Plasmius's army can join the onslaught, but, I'm needed here right now."

"Go."

"What?"

"Complete your mission, I'll do what I can." Dex stood up, his hands balled into fists.

"You change personalities fairly quick, don't you, Mr. Douglas." Weasel wasn't trying to mock, there was truly something different about Dex, for one, he was no longer shivering. Secondly, within a second, he held a crushing grip on the wall, pulling off a piece of screeching metal that sparked with white lightning.

"Go!" Dex then grabbed Weasel by the scruff of his neck, and threw him into the opening, so that he may search for a safer place to emerge. Then he ran toward his enemies, unafraid of anything they could throw at him. Of course, ditching the red haired creature, he became alone, therefore, vulnerable. The kids did just what they were expected to do: scramble.

Those who tried to catch up to Buttercup only ended up in separate parts of the maze, each facing their own waves of soldiers. They grew further and further apart the more they fought, and one by one they fell. Dex refused to use his power until he absolutely needed it, and unfortunately for him, he over estimated his abilities. His shrill cry carried through all the halls of the labyrinth, as he fell to the floor singing from the single shot of a laser gun. The echo distracted Jenny for a moment, fearful for Dex's life as well as comparing that pain filled voice to Danny's, which forced her to check if they were still back to back. She covered him with several layers of shields, so that when shot from behind, he wouldn't be harmed.

The echo also distracted young Conan, whose tiny body could only dodge so many lasers as he shot his own weapon. Piles of guards fell unconscious, thanks to his tranquilizer dart watch, and many were kicked to the side with his high powered sneakers. But it was hopeless, not having flight or power blasts, he was doomed to collapse after feeling like he was struck by lightning.

Two trouble makers out of the way, the remaining guards flooded to the other's aid, taking down Bubbles, then Blossom, then Dexter, in barely eleven minutes. Buttercup was reluctant to go down, and thought it cowardly to retreat, so she took the blasts with gritted teeth. She didn't care that she fought alone, that no one could watch her back, she wasn't going to give up! Her stupid pride was her own downfall, unable to withstand so much pain without crashing into her own crater in the metal floor.

Jenny was fairing no better, the heartless guards decided to hit the weak spot. They hammered on the layers of shields to the point no more could be made, and were prepared to shoot Danny even though he was already subdued by the sedative. She kneeled on the ground, cradling the limp ghost boy, shouting the one thing that threw all hope away. Her dreams of reuniting with her "mom", fooling around with her human friends, feeling safe and secure. What she would give to deal with being a teenage robot, it had to be better than this! All of this effort for naught, coming so close to freedom. This violent struggle that seemed to have no end, the light at the end of the tunnel never coming closer, it was so unfair!

"We surrender!..We surrender"

xXx

"Such naughty children." Were Mr. Big's choice words. He spoke, once again, through an intercom, the coward too afraid to face his employees himself."But I know that deep down you're very sweet, obedient children, so unlike Zim."

"You bastard!" Buttercup retorted. She had barely recovered, she couldn't even lift her arm to shake a fist at the air.

"Being that you are first time offenders, perhaps I could just let you off with a warning. But just this once." Mr. Big said with his infinite charity.

"You're not going to brainwash again." Jenny challenged. "We won't let you."

"You're kids! You have no say in the matter!" Mr. Big's voice rose, the sign of anger. "I know what's best for you. Now be good children and sit tight as we prepare the lab! And someone figure out why they're not responding to my mind control device!"

The heroes sat, huddled together, in the very middle of the display room. It was the room where they once showed off their deadly skills pummeling defenseless robots. Every available guard surrounded them, some poking their heads and their locked guns through missing tiles in the walls, which apparently doubled as windows. Every time one of them tried to speak, they heard the hum of a charging laser, and fell silent.

They were allowed to make coos of joy once Danny was finally showing signs of waking up, groaning and rubbing his eyes, the world spinning. That confusion was replaced with anger as he gazed at the army that pointed their lasers dauntingly. "Where am I?!" He demanded. "What happened?!"

"Danny…we're so sorry." Jenny said softly. "We failed, they got us." Danny looked back at Jenny, and couldn't believe it. She did not just say that, the good guys are supposed to win!

"What are you talking about?" Danny pried. "Why aren't we fighting? Why are we letting them do this?"

"We tried, we gave everything we got." Jenny told him. "It just wasn't enough." Danny had woken from his dreams into his worst nightmare. He tried to tell himself he was still asleep.

"This isn't over, it's not over!" Danny cried, transforming to Phantom. He gazed at every single guard, reading their glares and daring them to shoot. There were only a few dozen, he could take them.

"Cool it." One of them warned. "Don't cause more trouble than you're already in."

"Danny, just sit down." Dexter said in a defeated tone.

"What's the matter with you guys?" Danny growled angrily, standing up only to immediately fall back down from the dizziness. "We can't give up, we're so close!"

"There's nothing more we can do." Blossom agreed. "Only hope for your friend to do better than we did."

"That's it, you heard the story, kid. No more talking." A soldier snarled. "Just sit down and shut up."

"Say that to my face." Danny raised a fist, glowing green, but it was lowered by the gentle touch of listless Jenny.

"Let's just wait, OK? We can't fight right now anyway." She pointed to their friends, they were still weak from the burning of their insides. "You're right, it's not over…but maybe your friend is our only hope."

"I can't believe this. This-this can't be happening." Danny held his head in his hands. "This isn't happening. We still have a chance."

"I said shut up!"

"You shut up!" Danny, given time for his eyes to adjust, stood up again to shoot that mouthy guard square in the chest. His response was a shot through the heart.

"Danny!" all the kids cried, close to tears for a second, before they realized that the shot only when through him because he let it. The hole in his torso closed up in a second.

"I'm all right, or at least I'm gonna be, when all these jerks get kicks in the teeth!" He readied more blasts in both his hands, before he heard a boom in the distance, followed by a series of annoying, blaring alarms. "What was that?" Every head turned to the ceiling, some covering their ears.

"Mr. Big, Mr. Big!" a scientist burst into his office, hair disheveled, and more wrinkles in his forehead than in his shirt. "The shields are down, we're under attack!!"

"WHAT?!" the mad man's shout shook the entire structure, though it helped that the sound was magnified by the intercom.

_They're here_, Danny thought. _They're really here!_ "Ha! Not so cocky now, huh, Mr. Big." He said hotly. "Whether you admit it or not, this place is going to crumble. Now it's just going to crumble faster." His excitement rose, his blood was rushing, his whole body felt tingly! He especially felt a tingling in his ear, which struck his curiosity.. "Hey, what's this?" He removed one of his ear buds, the only things protecting him from losing all the values, all the memories, he holds dear.

"Yes, what is that?" Mr. Big's voice asked from the ceiling, intrigued. The heroes hoped he had not been watching, unable to find a camera.

"Quick, Danny! Put it back on, you fool!" Dexter warned.

"Why? Whatzit do?"

"Don't question me, just—"

"Ah! I think I understand." Mr. Big chuckled. "That must be why you won't listen to me. Well, I can fix that in a jiffy." In his dark, cramped office, Mr. Big turned a dial on his desk which made the lights in the white room flicker, then shatter. All the guns sparked once, then the intimidating glow of the charged lasers faded away, leaving the humans powerless, of course. The earbuds burned, cracked, and made a buzzing noise, which caused the heroes to take them out and throw them to the ground and stop the pain. The only light in the room was the glow of Danny's aura, and brilliant green eyes.

"Sir! What are you doing?!" one of the poor guards asked.

"I've cancelled out all of the technology in that room." Mr. Big informed. "It was a precaution I made in case the robot soldiers went a little nuts. Apologies, Ms. Wakemen, but I'm afraid your only powers include the average punching and kicking as of this moment." Jenny started to growl like an animal. "Anywho, point, yes. Those little ear things shouldn't work anymore, unless all you're trying to do is block the flow of blood of coming out your ears." He laughed at his own joke. "Now, you all will be quite susceptible to my commands. Now what shall it be? Will you cooperate? Or must I have my staff place bets on which of you shall perish first, as you all duke it out amongst yourselves."

"You wouldn't" Blossom suggested. The others tightened at such a concept, with anger and worry.

"I most certainly would. Everyone here is expendable. It shouldn't be too hard for me to replace eight assassins, my team would easily find a dozen more children, this universe of ours full with super powered, easily manipulated children."

The guards slowly made their way toward the only exit, for a fight was imminent, but they discussed who they planned to place their money on.

"The kid with the bow tie. He's nothing without his watch and sneakers, which we took anyway."

"You kidding? What about the little red haired boy? He's a baby, really, so going down on the word 'go'."

"That scrawny nerd looks like easy pickings, wait, what was his power again?"

The three boys with glasses cringed in unison, too frightened to feel insulted. That thought clicked in Jenny's head, and she knew they had to ask. "Dex," She pleaded, grabbing his shoulders. "If that power, if 'he' can help us right now, could you please, please let him out?"

"I don't know, I just don't know." Dex groaned, so hesitant to make such a huge decision. It felt like the entire world was on his small shoulders.

"Unless Vlad can bust in here within the next sixty seconds, we don't have much of a chance. So I beg you, please, please, just try!"

Dex had to think back to the pep talk from Weasel, knowing that he indeed had to try. If he didn't, could he live with the guilt? If that little guy was willing to jump head first into a skirmish that would most certainly kill him in a matter of seconds, why couldn't he run like a maniac, guns blazing? He looked all around him, the scared faces of his comrades not giving him a whole lot of confidence, but the voice inside his head was telling him it was time. Heck, not only time, but long overdue. It was now or never.

"Oh…FREAK OUT!!"


	12. Ultimate Showdown

Almost done! Indeed, soon the mayhem shall come to an end!

Again, I do not own any of these characters, in case anyone somehow missed any previous disclaimers.

Ch. 12: Ultimate Showdown

All attempted to shield their eyes from the blinding light that exploded in the dark room, like a million slivers of lightning circling the schizophrenic teenager. Not to mention, a tornado seemed to appear from nowhere, and the gusts of wind that ruffled the hair clothes of all it blew past carried with them an eerie, maniacal laughter. The heroes stood their ground, though feeling chills go down their spines with anticipation for whoever their ally will become.

It was still painfully bright, but all light seemed to focus on one specific bolt, which twitched and sparked around a boy with blue skin, red tights, and jet black hair. It finally settled in mentioned hair, and the boy smirked cockily as he looked toward no one in particular.

"Seriously, it's taking longer and longer for me to show up in these things." He remarked casually as he crossed his arms. "This is, what, the second to last chapter? I'm gonna have to call my agent."

"Wow…" Jenny said aloud, amazed by the confidence and…muscles of this new Dex. Danny had to blink his eyes a couple of times, understanding why Dex might not want to let this guy out. The way the young man's eyes darted to and fro behind their little black mask, Danny detected a hint of insanity.

Mr. Big did not expect Mr. Freakazoid to make an entrance without his command, so he found himself quite flustered. However, that one last act of defiance by Mr. Douglas pushed him over the edge. His finger hovered over the button which would send them all to their doom.

"Don't touch that dial!" Freakazoid commanded, like a bumper for a TV show. "I'll be right back!" He ran at the speed of light, straight up the wall and into the ceiling! Then he vanished, only leaving behind flaming skid marks.

"Hu-wha?" Mr. Big was again surprised that Freak could tell exactly what he was doing, even though they have not met face to face. He was getting notably angrier, steam shooting out of his ears, yet that anger was enough for him to bumble with the remote. "Where'd that freak go?"

"Where _did_ he go?" little Dexter asked. "That was amazing! How did he manage to fit into the socket of that broken light bulb?"

"He did what now?" Buttercup wasn't sure she heard right. A science man, anything involving wires and light had to intrigue Dexter.

"He became pure electricity!" he exclaimed excitedly. "He's in the building's computer by now, he could control—" as if on cue, new lights in the display room flickered on, Jenny's powers were restored, but the ear buds, sadly, could not reactivate. "He could control anything…and come out anywhere."

Back in his office, Mr. Big overheard Dexter's explanation, and made no more hesitation. He held down the button, brought the mini-satellite to his face, and opened his mouth to speak, only to scream cuss words as Freakazoid burst from under his desk. The glowing wires below were torn asunder and hissing with sparks, and the blue boy materialized then sat like a monkey before his former "employer". "Yoink!" he said childishly as he snatched the remote, then crushed it with his bare hand. "No more mind control for you Mr. You need more fiber!" He lifted what was rest of the smashed wooden desk and smacked Mr. Big upside the head, causing him to fall out of his chair and hit the floor with a clang and a grunt. He stole the chair, spun around a few times, then made himself comfortable, his feet resting on Big's head. "Attention everyone." He declared, taking over the intercom, grinning like an idiot. "The Big Bad guy's kinda all out of his huffin and puffin, so all good guys feel free to whoop some asses, and all bad guys may run like little girls. That is all." He would have resumed tormenting his new victim, but after close examination, he discovered that Big wasn't going to get back up. He heard a few more groans and cuss words, but the so called fiend was completely immobile. Freak poked him a couple of times then scowled and prepared to leave. "You're no fun."

_He's down?_ Was the unison thought, for heroes and villains alike. It was so hard to believe, the children weren't sure what to do. They could fight? They were safe? They had a chance? They could win?!

"You heard him." Echoed a familiar voice. Danny spun around to watch a gaping hole blast into one of the walls, then smile back at his old friend, Vlad Plasmius. Red ecto energy fading away from his fists, he brought them down to look down on children, invoking silent praise instead of the fear he was accustomed to. It felt good. He felt like a god. Danny slowly drifted up to the man, after looking more closely, able to adopt his look of determination he had been so close to losing.

"You came." He stated the obvious, since being so close to defeat, finding it hard to believe. "And by the sounds of it," Danny referred to the carnage that could be heard just outside, namely the screaming guards. "You kept your word."

"Why, Daniel." Vlad chuckled. "Was there ever a doubt in your mind?" Danny was relieved that Vlad didn't pause for his answer, because honestly, he did have his doubts. Instead, the older halfa offered his hand, which Danny gratefully accepted. "You probably have a lot of rage that needs to be dealt with." He replied with a fangy grin. "You've waited all this time, son, let's not delay this retribution any longer. Some well deserved pay back is due." Vlad bolted through the wall, phasing Danny and himself, and they had officially joined the battle.

Left to stare dumbly at each other, Jenny, Blossom, Bubbles, Buttercup, Conan, and Dexter read everyone's expression, then charged through the door to finish what they started. The army of guards were dropping like flies. The gathered heroes made certain not to kill the soldiers, but did not care enough to avoid piling them like crumpled up balls of paper.

Besides Vlad, Jack orchestrated most of what was going on. He stopped a few soldiers with his sword and skill, but mainly had to bark his orders during Vlad's absence. Fleets made up of those who could fly and shoot explosions were sent to circle the dome and tear it apart inside and out. Soon the sky that floated over the Community was real, the business was exposed, and ready to fall apart. Jack made sure to locate the children and give them the task they were most suited for. Any guards who were feigning unconsciousness were made honest by little Conan, after he had been reunited with his trusty tranquilizer watch. Jenny helped carry the top of the dome away and blast it to pieces, Dexter deactivated weapons, and the Powerpuffs got to get rid of a little aggression. Buttercup most of all, not a surprise.

Freakazoid couldn't be caught, but as far as Jack was concerned, he was doing his job fine. True, he did more banter than fighting, but he was enjoying himself. Unfortunately his antics made him ill aware of any hunters that lie in wait. The guards were almost gone, but no one should rule out the scientists. They have nasty tricks up their sleeves as well.

Specs was furious. He gave half of his being to this company, and he couldn't stand to watch it fall in a matter of minutes! There were many to blame, his over confident boss, the clumsy guards, lazy Dr. Hoax, and he figured if he had to go down, he'd go down fighting. His pale knuckles grew whiter as he clenched a different kind of gun, one of the few weapons given to a scientist, usually useless against most opponents. It emitted waves of some kind, or a frequency, something that would make their personality driven computers explode if the need should arise. "Surely if it can put an end to my saucy co-worker," he growled out loud, aiming at the Freak and thinking about his cynical computer. He did the research, he's well informed about Freak's body, almost completely internet based. "It can end you."

"Not in this timeline." Called out a futuristically dressed woman. She held a simple ray gun, which was enough to turn Specs's little weapon to ashes. Specs slowly rotated his shocked little head to the red haired, divorced female, and her robotic companion who had no problem with tasering him.

"Ha ha! Aw, man!" laughed a certain red squirrel, his teeth closed on a cigar. He had stood on the side lines most of the battle, not interested in risking his lives until there were less guns blazing. He snickered again when a fat man and giant chicken rolled across his path, beating each other senseless. "This is some party, huh? Well, about time we take out the trash." He hopped into a cute little purple convertible, who happened to have eyes. He stood on the seat cushion, a frying pan held tightly in one paw, and a bat in the other, eyes blazing with the former horrors of war. Compared to that, this was a day at the beach. "Ready, Putt Putt?" he asked his comrade.

"Hot diggity!" The little car sped past the lab, the driver making sure to knock a few scientists' heads.

Meanwhile a small child in a white cloak tossed egg bombs at an oncoming array of guards, causing most of them to shakily trip over themselves because of the horrible foul odor accompanied with thick smoke, but a few kept coming. Two pink and green tigers appeared from behind the boy and tackled the remaining men, then promptly released them so they could run away screaming in terror, after their pants were ripped off. "Ha ha!" laughed young Timmy, pointing at the exposed underwear. "Good one guys!"

"Watch it kid!" shouted an older boy, leaping behind Timmy to face a cowardly guard who nearly ambushed the child. His single blonde braid and red coat flowing thanks to the recoil from a nearby explosion, his yellow eyes narrowed as he made one swipe with his hand, and the laser gun the man had locked fell from his gloves into two cleanly cut blocks of steel. The teenager displayed to the man his miracle of an arm, perfectly shaped into a dangerous knife that could easily penetrate his armor. It was enough of a warning to send the guard running, two tigers eventually at his heels.

"Thanks dude!" Timmy yelled.

"No problem." Ed replied, his other, normal hand giving a thumbs up.

"Oh, no, I need to get out of here!" Hoax cried, scrambling and jumping over fallen soldiers. Not carrying a weapon, no one paid much mind, except one who stood directly in his path. He ducked and jumped and did everything he could to get out of the line of fire, but there was no escaping this meeting.

"Hello, Jeff." Jenny said darkly, causing the human to jump back. The glow in her eyes was a bit sharper, pupils missing, soul piercing. Hoax detected a clench in her fists, the screech of metal. "You lied to me, all this time. You turned me into a traitor." She reminded him as she slowly approached. "You killed Zim. I'd ask you to say hi to him for me…but I'm not like that." Hoax trembled, almost whimpering, holding his arm over his head, as if it would block anything. But he sank into somewhat of comfort zone when XJ9 made known she had no intent to kill him, though would very much like to. He was not prepared for the very large welt he was to receive on his blonde head, nor did he suspect that after he'd fall to the ground, she would have kicked him mercilessly to the side to collide with an already crumbling wall. The rubble fell on a broken, but living man, who will be forced to spend the rest of his miserable years paying for his murder with solitary confinement and blood curdling nightmares. "And that'll make me more human than you'll ever be."

Bubbles suddenly stopped mid punch when she believed she heard a voice squeaking in her pocket. She dropped the guard and dug out her sponge friend, whom she held to her ear.

"What is it, Mr. Spongey?...Uh huh?...Uh huh? You're right!" she declared, letting her victim fall to the ground then zooming through the halls, looking for the infamous office.

"What are you trying to do?" Blossom interrupted, following after her.

"We need to find Mr. Big, Mr. Spongey says he could escape!" she insisted. The suggestion grabbed the attention of the other former captives, who certainly desired an audience with the madman, finally face to face. They abandoned their adversaries and joined in one big stampede.

"This way!" Freak called, zipping down a hallway. "I left him over here!" The friends tried to follow him as closely as possible, but his sudden movements and quick speed made it difficult. "I don't know what's the rush." Freak admitted. "He hasn't moved." Standing before the broken slider door, they all barged in and gazed at the mess Freak created, then the very still Mr. Big. By the looks of it, it seemed that he was…no longer of this world, that Freak may have been a little too rough. A chest wasn't breathing, and yellow eyes weren't even raised to gawk at the children. No plea for mercy, no speech that he would not fail, no banter. He lain on his stomach on the cold floor, one arm a bit more extended than the other, his faced directed toward his only escape, but unmoving, as were the hearts of his prisoners. If he had died, they wouldn't feel an ounce of remorse. He got what he deserved, which was just about to be said, had not Bubbles mentioned otherwise.

Bubbles leaned back toward her Sponge, and huffed with anger. "Yes he has!" She pointed at Big's head, which could be seen thanks to Danny's aura. It had the luster and complexity of cold hard metal. Mr. Big was a robot.

"What a rip off!" Buttercup snarled, stomping and thereby making holes in the ground. "The coward!"

"No way." Jenny couldn't tell herself it was true, not wanting to believe that someone so cruel and unfeeling was something of her kind.

"No, he's getting away!" Bubbles claimed, pointing at the floor, near the wall. "There he is! Quick, someone grab him!"

"What are you talking about?" Conan piped in, his less creative eyes unseeing.

"Hey, this head is open, and look!" Dexter ordered, taking out a magnifying glass. All looked back down at the lifeless robot, and saw that a compartment on the forehead was lifted open, and they all leaned closer for a better look. "This control panel is almost microscopic!"

"It's because he's a plankton." Bubbles cried. "A plankton!"

"A what? A plankton?" Blossom repeated. "Seriously, even during the most sincere times you have an over active imagination."

Bubbles dove at the floor, but seemed to miss whatever target she had aimed for. Whatever it was, it escaped through a crack in the wall. "Darnit, he's gone!" Bubbles hid her face in shame for failing, but what she did not realize was that no one could possibly be convinced that a plankton could be the brains behind the monster.

"You bet he is…" Danny stated coldly, kicking the hunk of steel over to get a look at his blank face. Was he disappointed he couldn't see his real face and pound it in? Of course, but he couldn't let himself be torn up about it. He had to take his victories where he could find them. "And wherever he is, he'll think twice before trying this again. There is no escape from what has happened here, and scum like him are destined to taste justice, one way or another. We will find him, and he will pay for what he's done!"

xXx

One more chappie!


	13. Ultimate Destiny

**Valak**: Final Update! Enjoy  
**Jaden Yggdrasil**: -bows-

Oi, it feels good to wrap this up, truly hope you guys enjoyed this one. I certainly enjoyed thinking it up, but boy did it get difficult after a while. Thanks for all the support!

Ch. 13: Ultimate Destiny

When the children finally emerged from the wrecked office, they felt as if they were caught in a dream, or maybe the eye of the storm. All was dead silent, eerily calm, and not another life form in sight. There was indeed rubble all around them, smoke coming from some areas, but as for guards and super powered freaks, the entire battle had disappeared. They stepped outside, so they could see real sunshine for the first time in months, years for some of them. Besides the wreckage (the heroes did not hesitate to blow up a few buildings on their way out), it was simply beautiful. Ahead of them, they could see the ruins of the walls, and a few buildings as well. It didn't cross their minds that they should be worried about the Neighborhood being destroyed; the few worldly possessions they had kept inside could not possibly be compared to the feeling of freedom. For a few minutes they wondered how long they had stood over the lifeless robot, how long ago had the fight ended, and though the answer was obvious, who won?

"You don't have to worry about saying a hundred thank you's, children." Their heads turned to Vlad, who remained leaning on a broken and spewing decorative fountain. "They all understand. They've each picked up one of the criminals and are currently taking them to the closest authorities." He was able to sense their presence without turning around to face them, but understanding that there was no reason to be dramatic by this point. He slowly approached the kids, once again in business attire, his chilling smile and deep blue eyes somehow comforting after this hellish adventure. Only Danny was able to recognize him as their ally, the others having yet to see Vlad in his human form. "I'll assume Big is long gone."

"Y-yes." Danny said a little shamefully. "In fact he was never really here."

"Don't dwell on it. I have my ways of tracking people down." Vlad assured. "However, though I'm aware you've been through an awful lot, I'm going to have to ask you to leave certain details out of the picture, once you've been reunited with your families. There's no escape from the press, but we can give them a believable story where no one else shall be hurt."

The kids knew exactly what he was talking about. Secret identities were at stake here. They exchanged knowing glances, and such a story was formed.

"Well, believe it or not, I have other things to do today." Vlad mentioned as he transformed back into his ghostly self, taking a second to throw another file down at them. "It's a map, be sure to find your ways back home."

"Wait, you're not gonna help us with that?" Jenny asked, catching the folder.

"Surely, with your memories restored, you won't have a problem. Now, there's just one thing left I must do." Knowing that everyone was evacuated, he had no problem with charging an ecto blast as big as a boat in his right fist. He thrust it at the ominous structure, which had become their symbol for secrets and lies. And just like those secrets, the explosion proved that the horrid thing was no more. It rained shards of metal, and Danny had to think quickly and make all of his friends intangible. It was a beautiful sight in its own way; some might not think it, but it was sweet retribution for these former prisoners. As they gawked at the remains, Vlad smirked and was on his way. He grabbed his cape, and bringing it over his head, he disappeared completely in a swirl of mist.

"He's right." Dexter added, without missing a beat, the sweet picture of pay back already burned in his mind. "We remember everything now, it's over, let's go home!" Unfortunately, there was one more order of business to tend to, one even Vlad didn't consider. In the distance, in the Neighborhood, the heroes noticed a flash of light, and decided it was something that needed investigation.

xXx

They flew at top speed, and three figures on the horizon came quickly into view, standing on a crushed piece of land. From what they could tell, yes, their houses had been destroyed, nothing was spared.

"Hey, what are they doing at my house?" Danny asked his friends, of course not hearing a decent answer.

They landed nearby, but put enough space in between themselves and the strangers to show that they were still cautious. One man, deathly skinny and wearing a black robe, was cursing with his back facing his guests and pointing some sort of tool at various piles of demolished bricks, said piles bursting into flames and vanishing. His associates stood very closely, despite the danger of burning. One was actually giggling and swimming through the rubble, no concern for his well being whatsoever and uncaring of the risks of being zapped. He had a notably GIANT nose, blue jeans, a white shirt with blue stripes, and a little red cap atop his messy orange hair. The last figure was a sour, pouty little girl, who eyed the newcomers with little interest. The shape of her blonde hair reminded Danny of Vlad.

"Ugh! Stupid ting," the older gentleman spat, with a slight Jamaican accent. "Why did dey have to leave such a mess? It'll take forever to find it!"

"Just stop acting like a priss and get your delicate fingers dirty, bonehead." Growled the girl as she crossed her arms over her oddly pink colored shirt, with a little yellow flower. "And stop complaining about it." She redirected her glower toward the other children, expression unchanged. The motion was so sudden that they flinched. "We have company."

"Friends!" exclaimed the little boy, hovering in the air for a second as he waved his arms excitedly. "Friends friends friends!"

"Um…sorry to bother you but," Jenny stepped forward, not as much affected by the daunting look she was given. "What are you looking for?" The cloaked man stood up straight and stiffened, indeed feeling a bit bothered. He adjusted his hood and rested his weapon on his shoulder, and then turned around without lifting a foot off the ground. He glided like a ghost, but this was a creature even Danny would do well to fear. And he did, especially when he noticed that the weapon was a scythe and the man's face had no skin. They all looked into the empty sockets of the Grim Reaper.

"Just a soul dat has been bottled up for far too long." He stated, floating up to the group. His deep sinister voice echoed, and black clouds from nowhere began to circle above all their heads. The earth split open and the flames of Hades sprung up around everyone's feet. "Perhaps you can assist me, it's time for him to come home." His exposed teeth formed a smile once his audience started to tremble, a power he hadn't used in quite some time.

"Oh quit the spooky crap, Grim." The child known as Mandy growled. "There's not much of a reason to be scared of you anymore." She made a point, the group concluded. She was probably a thousand times more frightening. Apparently she had control, for the Reaper sighed hopelessly and snapped, making the clouds depart and the echo turn off. The fire retreated and the earth sewed back up, the children able to breathe easy.

"I don't know why I still let you come with me to work, even after all dat happened dat first time." Grim whined.

"I'll be damned if I miss out on some poor idiot getting his limbs sliced off and his soul being dragged away kicking and screaming." Mandy replied.

"Well…yeah it is kinda cool…but why is he here?" he grumbled as he pointed at the little boy known as Billy.

"You know what happens if you leave him alone, that boy needs constant supervision." Mandy mentioned, furrowing her brows as the simpleton tried to pick his nose with his tongue.

"Bleh, bleh bleh" Billy was having trouble, but to everyone's disgust, he was near successful.

"Don't you tink dis is a little much for him?" Grim suggested.

"He's too stupid to be permanently scarred by seeing anything you do, no matter how graphic." Mandy decided.

"Excuse me, but," Jenny had the nerve to interrupt, something she was quickly about to regret. These humans were scary, if you could call them humans. "Are you r-r-really"

"Yes, child." The skeleton declared. "I am the Grim Reaper, master of—"

"Cut to the chase." Buttercup interjected, quickly learning from the Reaper's little friend. Death groaned.

"Very well. I'm looking for something dat resembles a backpack. It contains the soul of an alien named Zim. You know where it might be?"

"Wait, are you taking him to…you know." Freakazoid questioned, pointing downward.

"Yes, I'm afraid." Grim admitted. "It's only taken me so long because of that stupid security system of dis place." Wow, if Big could keep the Grim Reaper out, this had to be some place. It was either that or they've overestimated Death.

"Wait, you can't!" Jenny cried. "Please, there has to be a way we can bring him back to life or something, this isn't fair."

"Life isn't fair, child. Death isn't either." Grim readied his scythe, his way of showing he was serious, and there's no use battling over this matter.

"Please." Jenny begged, completely alone on this venture. No one else was willing to negotiate with the Reaper for such a life as Zim's, even if they did feel sorry for him. "Isn't there anything we can do?"

"Just let 'em, Grim." Mandy spat. "If they want to prolong the inevitable of their alien buddy going to hell, why not?"

"Yeah! And who are we to split up such a wonderful friendship?" Billy added, dumbly wrapping his arms around himself into a hug. "It kinda reminds me of us!"

"Plus, the more time you waste yakking with them the less time you have to finish my chores." Mandy added. "The toilet won't unclog itself.

_At least the robot girl was polite about it,_ Grim thought. _such manners should be rewarded._ To be so easily swayed and pushed around by mere children, he was mortified, but almost complacent about it. "I swear I'm _going_ to _kill_ myself."

"You wish Grim." Mandy turned back to the heroes. "Tell 'em what to do and let's leave this dump."

Grim sighed and cleared his throat. "It's very simple what needs to be done. All Zim needs is a body. I'm feeling…generous today. I'll give you exactly twenty-four hours to find his corpse, fail to do so then I will have to take him. Am I clear?"

"C-crystal. That's it? Thank you!" Jenny beamed. "Don't worry, Mr. Reaper. We can handle it."

Grim smiled again, this time with no vicious intent. It felt good to get a little respect, especially going so long without it. He tapped the ground with his scythe, and the ground opened once again, and they were consumed by the flames.

"Isn't this great, guys?" Jenny felt like dancing, all the guilt gradually melting away. "We can get Zim back!"

"Yeah, one problem." Blossom brought up. "Where are we going to find his body?" It was a sad truth, as they looked back at where the Black Building once stood.

xXx

"Urg, ah…wh—"

"He's coming around!" Jenny gasped.

"Ahhhhh! I hate you guys, I hate you!" cried little Bubbles, shielding her eyes and stomping madly.

"You don't mean that." Danny said, trying with no avail to console the girl in blue.

"Yes I do! How can you create this abomination?! Oh it's a sin against nature!"

"It's not like we k—well, it was road kill, girl. It wouldn't matter what we did." Dexter said defensively, putting a few gadgets away.

"At least he's not as scary." Dex said with a smile, no longer feeling intimidated to be in this one's presence.

"Hey, Zim." Buttercup piped, leaning over his new face. "Welcome back." She was strangely…happy to see his shiny red eyes again. She'd never admit that she missed him.

"Wha? What?!" The creature scrambled to his feet, falling back down instantly. His dark vision cleared, but the familiar faces were still surprising. "What happened? Where am I?" Zim looked around to find Dexter's lab, everything like a tower. He was on an operating table, the cold metal making his spine chill and his fur tingle…wait, fur? "AGHGUAH! What did you do to me?! I'm a filthy earth beast!"

"Squirrels are not FILTHY!" Bubbles snarled, pounding her fists on the table.

"We're sorry, Zim." Danny apologized. "But we couldn't find your body, so we found a new one. Dexter shrunk your backpack so it would fit."

"Unusual that his fur automatically turned green." Conan surmised. "I guess you'll never pass for normal."

"What are you talking about, spectacled monster? Zim was always normal!" the squirrel shouted, tiny paws raised like fists. He took a moment to look himself over and flick his bushy tail, then growl and squeak his displeasure. "This is unacceptable!"

"Ah, shuddup. You should be grateful." Buttercup said playfully. "Now you're cute."

"I tried ruling the world with cute!" Zim shouted with distaste. "It doesn't work!"

"It's just good to have you back, Zim." Jenny snatched the little animal off the table and brought it into a hug on her face. "You have no idea how great it is to hear your rage again."

"Ugh! Put me down! Put me down this instant you miserable tinker toy! Augah! I mean it. I am Zim. I AM ZIM!!"

Yes he is, yes he is.

xXx

"Well, Mr. Spongey." Bubbles started, giving her aquatic friend one last hug. "We're all going home, and you deserve to go too." She hovered over the sea, a gentle, refreshing breeze blowing past her face and making this goodbye as easy as pie. She looked down, visualizing the beautiful coral reefs and fishies that her small friend had to miss, remembering a certain starfish and squirrel he especially pined to see again. He had mentioned that one of his crab buddies was a specific target of the plankton, and that he wouldn't be waiting for him, but there was so much to repair. She imagined the tear jerking reunion, and then she dropped the sponge. He floated on the surface for a bit, but then he began to sink, and she wiped a single tear from her eye. "Goodbye, we'll meet again someday!"

Buttercup tapped her foot anxiously on the beach, getting impatient. "C'mon! Let's go! I can't wait any longer!"

Bubbles forgave her antsy sister, joined her and Blossom, then took off. Pink, blue, and green streams of light traced the trail to their loving, lonely, and very relieved father.

xXx

"So, you don't want to tell me anymore?" asked Dr. Agasa as he took the empty coffee mug from his young friend. "That's quite a tale."

"Tell me about it." Conan sighed, wiping off his glasses with his shirt. "I know it sounds hard to believe, but you saw the ghost kid for yourself. To think those things actually exist. Thanks for covering for me, Doc; if Ran ever knew I was in trouble, she'd probably still be smothering me by now."

"Ha ha ha! Knowing you, Shinichi, you would have preferred it that way." The doctor chuckled. "But I understand…did you miss her?" Conan stared at the floor for a few minutes, then getting up and making his way towards the door.

"I think I'm going to go back for a few more hugs."

"Oh ho, ok, see you soon, Shinichi! And don't go getting abducted again, ha!" the doctor was joking, but once Conan was gone, he had to lay down on the couch, his old brain unable to think that such a story was real. He made a deep sigh and closed his eyes, the mere idea that his buddy was used for murder unthinkable. And being as protective as he is, he couldn't bare thinking that it could happen again. He thought of new inventions that would put his mind at ease.

xXx

Dexter expected that his parents were going to hold on to him for days, but from what his memory told him, he never would have thought that his sister, of all people, would be just as overwhelmed, if not more, to embrace him again.

"D-Dee Dee," he stammered. "I never knew you cared." His sister was sobbing uncontrollably.

"Of course I care, stupid!" she cried, hugging him tighter. "I don't know what I'd do without you!" The blonde, blue eyed, tall and slender ballerina spun around as she hugged her little brother. "Don't you ever leave me again!" Dexter couldn't help it. He too had salty drops slide past his glasses and down his cheeks, trying to hide them in Dee Dee's shoulder.

xXx

The door of the Wakemen household swung open, as it did twice earlier that day, but with a greasy, nerdy teenager standing in the entrance.

"JENNY!" Sheldon screamed, already bawling. "Where's Jenny?!"

"So you heard the news," Miss Wakemen sniffed, going through her 10th box of tissues. "Boy does it travel fast." She was still clinging to her "daughter", not at all worried about rust.

"Back off, kid." Warned her friend, Brad, his bright red hair unwashed for being with Jenny the past few days. Seeing Jenny again, after all this time, had made him ecstatic, but a little overprotective, and very clingy.

"She needs time to adjust—" Brad's little brother Tuck was cut off by a whooshing sound as Jenny tackled her former stalker.

"It's ok guys." Jenny assured them. "You don't know how much it means to see any familiar face." Sheldon sighed happily and fainted from delight into the robot's amazingly comforting arms.

xXx

"Hey, Kid." A police officer said monotonously to the blue boy in red tights who hugged him with his entire body. "I missed you too." It's not his fault he had trouble showing emotion. "No really, it's really, REALLY good to see you. Where have you been?" Freakazoid responded by speaking a thousand miles a minute, every world incomprehensible. "That's nice, how's the family?"

"I had no idea, Cosgrove!" he yelled excitedly. "I would have never known that they missed me so much, even Duncan! I just thought all this time that they didn't even acknowledge my existence. They might be looking for me right now to have another cry fest, maybe I should—"

"Hey, Kid, wanna get a snow cone?" It was the one question in the world that could possibly break the hug, and then promptly cause a bigger, tighter one.

"DO I?!"

xXx

"Master!"

"Ug!" Zim braced himself for the very painful affection he was to receive from his robotic henchman. Honestly he had to think about it for a while to reactivate him, wondering if he should first rebuild his destroyed base. His base was back, good as new, but his doggy dressed sidekick was overcome with joy to have the first thing he sees in over a year to be his master in cute squirrel form. He couldn't stop squeezing him.

"You're so squishy now!"

"Enough, Gir!" Zim commanded, Gir instantly complying. Zim fell with an "oof", then dusted himself off and got to business. "Go to that control panel over there and push the buttons that I tell you too!" Zim climbed up a few chairs and consoles to get a good look at what he was creating on his own operating table. "Zim shall not be condemned to a life of furryness. I shall make a new body, just as good looking and as powerful as the original, and then, I will destroy this world!" He laughed manically as he pulled a few switches, his lair buzzing and bright, back to doing what he was meant for.

xXx

"Breaking news!" shouted the news anchor.

"That's putting it lightly." Danny smiled casually, sitting on his own couch, in his own home, with his own sister trying to dry her eyes, his own mother kissing him on the forehead, and his own father embracing the entire family with his massive arms.

"Local hero, Vlad Masters, had organized a league of heroes and put a stop to an absolutely heinous facility that kidnapped children and put them to work like slaves! All of those involved have been arrested and have been put away for life; unfortunately their leader had escaped and is still at large. We have no picture or any solid information about him, but Mayor Masters declares that he will be found and he will be punished. Meanwhile, the names of the kidnapped children shall be left anonymous, and they are currently being reunited with their families. The town is eternally grateful and is preparing a ceremony for Mr. Masters, thanking him for his self less effort."

"We could never thank him enough." Maddie said between kisses and tears.

"Aw son," Jack sniffed. "I'll admit it, I thought you were captured by ghosts and I'd given up hope, but seeing you again, I—I," he squeezed his family so tight they couldn't breathe for a few seconds. "A ghost could walk right in and stick his tongue at me, I'm not letting go!"

"I missed you guys too." Danny managed to say. "You don't know how much it means to know that you guys even exist, to have such wonderful parents." He began to choke on his words. "And a caring sister. And-and though I may have never said it before, I'm the luckiest kid in the world to have you all. I'm never going to lose any of you ever again! I swear it!"

xXx

More was said, in every single one of those relieved households, about love, faith, and promises to never leave each other again. There was more crying, laughing, and definitely hugging. The nightmare was over and the healing could begin. They've realized just how much their loved ones mean to them, how their lives touch others, and generally what is important. Though our heroes were more than likely traumatized, they didn't let that faze them in combat. They learned from their mistakes, and plan to work harder than ever in their heroic fields to make up for those who were lost, and one day bring Mr. Big to justice.

Once again, the day is saved, thanks to:

Danny Phantom, Invader Zim, Detective Conan, The Powerpuff Girls, Dexter's Laboratory, My Life as a Teenage Robot, Freakazoid!, Sheep in the Big City, Rocky and Bullwinkle, Family Guy, Fairly Oddparents, Blue's Clues, Clifford the Big Red Dog, Ed Edd n Eddy, Time Squad, Angry Beavers, Cow and Chicken, I M. Weasel, Courage the Cowardly Dog, South Park, Homestar Runner, Conker, Putt Putt, Lenore the Cute Little Dead Girl, Spongebob Squarepants, Hey Arnold, Teen Titans, Samurai Jack, Avatar the Last Airbender, Inuyasha, Full Metal Alchemist, Ginga Densetsu Weed, Samurai Pizza Cats, Ren and Stimpy, Dynomutt, Scooby Doo, Hong Kong Phooey, The Simpsons, and The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy.


End file.
